Home Page of Chris Bono- Wrestler & Olympic Hopeful- Articles

Chris Bono
2004 Olympic 69kg Freestyle Wrestling Hopeful

Articles

Ex-Bolles Star Bono Seeks Title
by Michael Boyle, Jacksonville Times-Union Sports Writer
from the Jacksonville Times-Union web site
06/29/2001
originally from http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/063001/spo_6573465.html
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In an area known for producing top level football, basketball and baseball talent, an athlete who does his work on the mat has become one of Jacksonville's best athletic exports.

Chris Bono, a three time state champion wrestler at Bolles and three-time All-American at Iowa State, successfully has taken his skills to the larger wrestling world.

Bono, 27, will compete in the World Championships of Wrestling Sept.26-29 in New York after qualifying as the United States' entry in the 152-pound weight class last weekend in Cincinnati. He'll face the best from the other top wrestling nations such as Iran, Turkey, Russia and Cuba at Madison Square Garden.

A veteran of international competition, Bono is no stranger to his opponents.

"I've beaten all of these guys, and they have beaten me at different times," Bono said. "It is just a matter of putting together some good matches and getting on a roll. If I do the best I can, I can win a world title."

Beyond his individual responsibilities on the mat, Bono leads an inexperienced U.S. team that features two wrestlers who are still in college.

"After the Olympic year, things change as people retire and new guys come up," Bono said. "We have a very young team, and four out the eight guys have never wrestled in a world championship. But our guys are talented, and we have an advantage this year being at home."

As important as World Championships are for Bono and Team USA, the ultimate goal is always the Olympics. Bono's Olympic dream almost came true last year when he advanced to the final round of the 2000 Olympic Trials before being beat out by Lincoln McIlravy. This year, with McIlravy not wrestling competitively, Bono capitalized on his chance to make the U.S. team for the World Championships.

"It was a load off my back, just trying to make the team," Bono said. "I have been trying for so long. Too bad it was one year late."

Even with the Athens Games three years away, Bono is focusing on his Olympic dream.

"I'll probably take some time off after the World Championships, but you have the World Cup and the Pan-Am games in the future," Bono said. "I am in this thing for four years, regardless of what happens."

Bono, who resides in Gilbert, Iowa, where he was recently promoted as top assistant wrestling coach at Iowa State, returned to Jacksonville this week to hold the Chris Bono Wrestling Camp at Bolles. While the Midwest remains the heartland of wrestling in the United States, Bono sees promise in his former home.

"It is my job to know where the good wrestlers are, and there are some good wrestlers coming out of Florida," Bono said. "There is a four-time state champion out at Clay, [P.J.] Cobbert, so the talent is around."

As a college wrestling coach, Bono has seen many schools drop wrestling in order to comply with Title IX requirements.

"If we start dropping programs, kids are not going to wrestle in college, and are not going to get the experience they need," he said. "We have to fight for our programs; we can't let any of them die."

Assistant Iowa State wrestling coach reveling in upset of top-ranked Ramico Blackmon at the World Team Trials last weekend.
by Eric Peterson, Ames Tribune Staff Writer
from the Go Cyclones web site
06/27/2001
originally from http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=2009327&BRD=2034&PAG=461&dept_id=238626&rfi=6
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It's been a long, hard road for Chris Bono.

That road got much clearer at last weekend's World Team Trials in Cincinnati as Bono, who twice had finished second and once third at the event, upset top-ranked Ramico Blackmon for the right to compete at the 2001 World Championships Sept. 26-29 in New York City.

The 27-year-old Bono, a former Iowa State national champion and current assistant coach at ISU, has been working for the opportunity for years.

"Not a lot of people know what I've gone through and the sacrifices I've made to get here," Bono said. "It's a relief. I'm going to sit back and enjoy it for a week."

Three-time NCAA champion Cael Sanderson was victorious at 187.25 pounds, defeating former Minnesota All-American Brandon Eggum, 9-0 and 4-0, for his first shot at a world title.

Four-time ISU All-American Eric Akin was upset at 119 by Stephen Abas and had to settle for a second-place finish.

Cyclone Joe Heskett took third place at 167.5, pinning Michigan's Andy Hrovat. Former Cyclones Cody Sanderson and Zach Thompson took fourth and fifth, respectively, at 127.75 and 213.75.

After defeating Blackmon, 3-0 and 4-3, in their best-of-three matchup Sunday at 152, Bono flew to his hometown of Jacksonville, Fla., to work his annual youth wrestling camp.

His wife, Niki, and 6-month-old daughter, Josie, were there to see him take first.

Bono had to win a mini-tournament Friday and Saturday to get to Blackmon, who didn't have to wrestle until the finals by virtue of his victory at the U.S. Nationals in April, which came against Bono.

That was the turning point for Bono. He became a man on a mission from that moment on.

"I came back and I had to change something," he said.

Bono looked to ISU's strength coach for Olympic sports, Rohrk Cutchlow. Cutchlow took him under his wing, putting Bono through rigorous running and weight workouts as well as an agility regimen totally new to Bono.

Cutchlow's workouts were the difference-maker, Bono said.

"You can only do so much on your own," he said. "It added something to my wrestling, an extra dimension."

ISU coach Bobby Douglas also had a big hand in Bono's finish at the trials. The two spent hours breaking down film on Blackmon, a former All-American at Eastern Michigan.

Bono also enlisted some current and former Cyclones to emulate Blackmon on the mat during workouts. Guys like Dwight Hinson, Nick Passolano and transfer Aaron Holker deserve some of the credit for preparing Bono.

"The guys were wrestling like Ramico," he said. "When (Blackmon) touched my head or my arm, I knew what was coming."

Bono's plan was to wear Blackmon down physically with a relentless offensive attack, a strategy that worked to perfection.

Bono outwrestled Yoshi Nakamura in a 4-1 decision on Friday, and beat Chris Ayres, 6-2, Saturday. Bono knows he still has plenty of work to do from now until September and isn't getting too far ahead of himself.

"I haven't done anything yet. I'm just on the team," he said. "It's taken a lot to get here, but I'm still looking to the future."

An Olympic medal is Bono's ultimate goal. He'll have to wait until 2004, when the summer games are held in Athens, Greece.

©GoCyclones.com 2001

Bono, Sanderson Make U.S. World Team
by Register News Services, Register Staff Writer
from the Iowa State Athleticsweb site
Monday, 06/25/2001
originally from http://cyclones.fansonly.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/062501aaa.html
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Three-time undefeated national champion Cael Sanderson and Cyclone assistant wrestling coach won the right to represent Iowa State and the United States at the 2001 World Championships of Wrestling in New York, Sept. 26-29. Sanderson and Bono swept the field this past weekend at the World Team Trials at the Cintas Center at Xavier University (Cincinnati, Ohio).

Sanderson, the top seed at 187.25 pounds, downed Brandon Eggum of Minneapolis 9-0 and 4-0 to take the title on Sunday.

"It's awesome to have this opportunity," Sanderson said. "This is something I've wanted to do since I was a little kid and its just really cool to have this chance."

Bono had a slightly more difficult route than Sanderson, as he competed on Friday and Saturday. Bono outwrestled Yoshi Nakamura in a 4-1 decision on Friday, and ousted Chris Ayres in a 6-2 decision Saturday.

Sunday's title match pitted Bono against No. 1-ranked Ramico Blackmon. Bono defeated Blackmon 3-0 and 4-3 to claim the 152 pound championship.

"My first match [against Blackmon] went really well as I controlled things and won 3-0," Bono said. "The second match started fast, he got tired, and that's when my training showed. I scored three points in the second period and that was the difference."

Iowa State senio Joe Haskett took fourth place at 167.50 pounds, Cyclone assistant coach Cody Sanderson finished fourth at 127.75 pounds and Zach Thompson came in fifth at 213.75 pounds.

"I'm just very excited to represent the country, as well as Iowa State at the upcoming World Championships in New York," Bono said. "I've wrestled all the guys that are going to be there before. I'm going to train, prepare and see what happens."

"I'm going to put a lot of hard work in so that I can represent the United States in way that I can be proud of," Sanderson said. "That's my goal."

©Student Advantage Inc. 2001

Cyclones Sanderson and Bono Lead Iowa Charge to U.S. Team
by Register News Services, Register Staff Writer
from the Des Moines Register web site
Monday, 06/25/2001
originally from http://www.dmregister.com/sports/stories/c6902871/15113581.html
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Cincinnati, Ohio - Three-time undefeated NCAA champion Cael Sanderson of Iowa State, Cyclones assistant coach Chris Bono, and former Iowa national champions Joe Williams and Bill Zadick will represent the United States at the world wrestling championships.

The four earned their spots on the U.S. team after sweeping best-of-three gold medal matches on Sunday at the World Team Trials. The world championships are Sept. 26-29 in New York.

Sanderson, top-seeded at 187 1/4 pounds, won decisions of 9-0 and 4-0 over Brandon Eggum of Minneapolis to advance. Bono had to advance through a mini-tournament Friday and Saturday to reach the gold-medal series against top-seeded Ramico Blackmon of Colorado Springs, Colo., at 152. Bono twice beat Blackmon by decision on Sunday, 3-0 and 4-3.

Williams and Zadick also were No. 1 seeds and only had to wrestle Sunday. Williams twice topped Byron Tucker of Norman, Okla., by decision at 167 1/2, 3-2 and 3-0. Zadick twice won decisions over John Fisher of Ann Arbor, Mich., at 1383/4, 6-2 and 7-1.

Two other wrestlers with ties to Iowa failed in their bids to make the U.S. team.

Four-time Iowa State all-American and top-seeded Eric Akin was upset by Stephen Abas of Fresno, Calif., losing two of three matches at 119. Chad Lamer of Coralville, Ia., beat top-seeded Dominic Black of Colorado Springs, 7-3, in his first match on Sunday at 2133/4, but dropped the final two matches by decision, 3-1 and 5-1

Bono's Mat Dreams Closer to Reality
by Craig Sesker, World Harold Staff Writer
from the Omaha World Harold web site
Sunday, 06/24/2001
originally from http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_div=3&u_hdg=1&u_sid=161011
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Cincinnati - Chris Bono has spent nearly his whole life competing in wrestling.

And it still never seems to get old.

"I've been doing this since I was 5 years old and it gets more fun every day," said Bono, 27, a former NCAA champion at Iowa State. "I still love doing this."

What does get old is being so close to making a World or Olympic freestyle wrestling team and coming up short.

Bono, second at the 1998 U.S. World Team Trials and the 2000 Olympic Trials, earned another shot at representing his home country in a major international meet when he won the mini-tournament at 152 pounds Saturday night at the U.S. World Team Trials at Xavier University's Cintas Center.

Bono surrendered an early takedown against Chris Ayers, but quickly regrouped to score four takedowns of his own in a 6-2 victory.

Bono will meet Ramico Blackmon in today's best-of-3 championship round with the winner advancing to September's World Championships in New York City.

Blackmon beat Bono in the finals at April's U.S. Nationals to earn the automatic berth into today's finals. Bono lost to Lincoln McIlravy in the 1998 World Team Trials and the 2000 Olympic Trials. McIlravy, an Olympic bronze medalist last year, is taking this year off.

"It's been tough, being so close and coming up short," Bono said. "I not only think I can do this, I believe I can go on and win a world title. I just need to take care of business and give myself an opportunity to do it."

A wrestler Bono coaches, Iowa State senior-to-be Joe Heskett, suffered a heartbreaking 7-5 loss to Byron Tucker in the mini-tournament finals at 167. Heskett appeared to have won the match 5-4, but following a video replay of a sequence late in the match Tucker was awarded a 7-5 win.

Tolly Thompson, a former NCAA champion at the University of Nebraska, ran into a brick wall in Stephen Neal in the mini-tournament finals at heavyweight. Neal, the 1999 world champion, scored a decisive 7-0 win.

Former Iowa wrestler Mike Mena dropped a 3-1 decision to two-time NCAA champion Stephen Abas in the mini-tournament finals at 119.

Former Hawkeye wrestlers Bill Zadick (138) and Joe Williams (167), along with three-time Iowa State NCAA champion Cael Sanderson (187) and former Cyclone Eric Akin (119), earned spots in today's freestyle finals by winning titles at April's U.S. Nationals.

Zadick will face John Fisher in the finals and Williams will meet Tucker. Sanderson, 119-0 at Iowa State and with one year of college eligibility still left, will wrestle Brandon Eggum. Akin, a University of Nebraska assistant coach, will take on Abas.

In Saturday's Greco-Roman competition, Omaha's Duaine Martin fell 4-0 to 2000 Olympian James Gruenwald in the finals of the mini-tournament at 127. Martin, fourth at last year's Olympic Trials, finished third in Cincinnati.

Former Husker NCAA champion Brad Vering, competing in the loaded 187 Greco class that includes three Olympians, notched two wins Saturday and has an opportunity to finish third today.

Vering stunned 2000 Olympian Quincey Clark and pinned him just 27 seconds into their match. Vering, who placed fifth at April's U.S. Nationals in his first Greco competition in two years, then avenged his Friday quarterfinal round loss to Aaron Sieracki with a 4-1 win in the rematch.

Vering, seventh at March's NCAA Tournament after winning the 197 title as a junior, will meet Ethan Bosch for third place today. Vering beat Bosch in the fifth-place match at the U.S. Nationals.

Former Husker wrestler and assistant coach Matt Lindland and Rulon Gardner (heavyweight) will finally compete today after clinching finals berths in Greco by winning titles at the U.S. Nationals. Gardner, an Olympic gold medalist in Sydney, will face Dremiel Byers in the finals. Lindland will meet two-time Olympian Dan Henderson for a trip to New York.

Chris Bono Named Iowa State's No. 1 Assistant Wrestling Coach
from the Cyclone Wrestling web site
04/23/2001
originally from http://cyclones.fansonly.com/sports/m-wrestl/spec-rel/042301aaa.html
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Ames, Iowa-- Former Iowa State NCAA champion and three-time All-American Chris Bono has been named the No. 1 assistant wrestling coach at ISU, head coach Bobby Douglas announced Monday.

Bono, in his fifth year as an Iowa State assistant, replaces Thom Ortiz who was named head wrestling coach at Arizona State Thursday.

"Chris (Bono) has a lot of knowledge and experience to share," Douglas said. "I am very confident he will do a great job as our top assistant."

Bono wrestled at ISU from 1993-97 under Douglas. During that time, Bono tallied 130 wins which ranks third on the all-time Iowa State career victory list. He also helped the Cyclones to a runner-up finish at the NCAA Tournament in 1996 by capturing the NCAA 150-pound title.

Bono is currently training for the Olympics and is ranked second at the U.S. senior level and is a member of the U.S. national team.

Bono in Search of First Title
By Dan McCool, Staff Writer, Des Moines Register
04/12/2001
originally from http://desmoinesregister.com/sports/stories/c6902871/14366183.html
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Iowa State assistant coach Chris Bono is once again seeking the 152-pound championship at the National Open freestyle wrestling tournament this weekend in Las Vegas.

Bono, 27, of Gilbert, was in the finals each of the last two years but failed to score against top-ranked Lincoln McIlravy of Coralville, whose last setback to an American wrestler was in the 1996 Olympic trials. Bono, who is No. 2 on the Team USA depth chart at 152, never beat McIlravy in a series dating back to childhood. Bono won't get a chance to reverse that this weekend.

McIlravy, the 2000 Olympic bronze medalist, said he will not seek a fifth consecutive National Open title. McIlravy said he might compete in the world team trials, June 21-23, in Cincinnati, Ohio.

"I've really needed some time off for a while and I haven't given it to myself because of the timing of the Olympics," McIlravy said. "My back is actually pretty beat up. It's not like a thing where I couldn't go wrestle because I've wrestled with it like this for two years.

"The real problem comes with training - I don't do my training as much justice as I'd like to with my back the way it is."

That won't keep Bono out of the mix at the Grand Garden Arena of the MGM Hotel-Casino this week. Competition in freestyle begins at 1 p.m. CDT Friday. Championship matches are scheduled for 8 p.m., CDT Saturday.

"I've had my spirit broken many, many times, but I haven't accomplished what I've set out to do since I was a young kid," Bono said.

Bono takes a 14-3 record into the National Open. All three losses came in February. Bono lost twice at the Takhti Cup tournament in Iran and lost to Bill Zadick of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club at the Manitoba Open.

He gritted his teeth after losing repeatedly to McIlravy, but Bono said there is good to being in that position.

"I've been behind a guy who is one of the toughest guys in the world. I wouldn't have it any other way," Bono said. "He's made me train, he's made me learn, he's made me work, he's made me better.

"When it's all over and I have my world title, I'm going to thank him. Maybe he'll take it as a compliment. I hope he does, because he made me better."

Bono said he's ready to go this weekend.

"I want to believe I am in the best shape of my life," Bono said.

Bono shoots for head coaching job

Eric Petersen, Cardinal and Gold Editor March 02, 2001

originally at: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=1485812&BRD=2034&PAG=461&

Iowa State assistant coach continues to learn under Douglas.

Its taken a few years, but Chris Bono is getting the hang of it.