http://www.ohiortc.com/rss/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands
As a high school wrestler at Bishop Ready, Tommy showed continual improvement every year. Growing in weight every year, he was a state qualifier as a freshman, a state finalist as a sophomore, an undefeated state champion his last two years, and the Senior National champion before he was done. At the same time Rowlands was earning folk style fame, he was excelling in the Olympics styles, winning Cadet and Junior national titles in both freestyle and Greco-Roman as well as earning a pair of FILA Junior national championships in freestyle and on ein earning the Silver Medal at the 2000 FILA Junior World Championships.

2nd Period

When Tommy Rowlands enrolled at Ohio State he was one of the most accomplished recruits to ever wrestle for the Buckeyes. It didn’t take long for potential to turn into production as he went on to become a four-time All-American, three-time NCAA finalist, and two-time national champion. While folk style wrestling provided a means to a college education, it was the Olympic styles that ignited his fire. At Ohio state Tommy did everything in his power to make his dreams to turn into a reality. As a freshman he finished second at the NCAA Tournament, as a sophomore he won his first college national title, as a junior he was injured and defaulted to sixth, and as a senior he went out on top with his second NCAA championship to become the first four-time All-American in school history.

3rd Period

After graduating, Rowlands began training full-time to compete in the international styles and his success continued. In 2005, he won his first international title by bringing home the Gold from the University World Championships. Tommy also won a pair of national titles at the 2007 and 2008 US Opens, won the 2007 World Team Trials and placed fifth at the World Championships. After finishing second at the 2008 Olympic Trials, Rowlands retired for eighteen months before making a comeback in 2010 and earning his third spot on the national team by finishing third at the US Open and the World Team Trials.]]> http://c0179261.cdn.cloudfiles.rackspacecloud.com/574186_lBfaad89xy31qPLxk2Tw_m.jpg http://www.ohiortc.com/rss/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands en-us Sat, 19 May 2012 07:38:43 GMT Sat, 19 May 2012 07:38:43 GMT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/630719-A-disappointed-Tommy-Rowlands Sat, 21 Apr 2012 21:10:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/630719-A-disappointed-Tommy-Rowlands http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/630333-Rowlands-Ready-For-2-of-3-Olympic-Trials-Final Sat, 21 Apr 2012 13:05:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/630333-Rowlands-Ready-For-2-of-3-Olympic-Trials-Final http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/607-Tervel-Dlagnev/video/621325-Ithaka
http://www.indiegogo.com/ithaka

to see that the production of this gets finished. Here is some more info about it below:


"Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you are destined for.
But do not hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you are old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you have gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.
Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you would not have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now."
C.P. Cavafy

The "marvelous journey" that Cavafy is speaking of in this poem is a beautiful and sometimes painful story. It is one that we are attempting to capture in all of its raw emotion and sheer power. The men of the Ohio Regional Training Center in Columbus, Ohio are on a mission to achieve Olympic and personal glory in this documentary series, full of human passion and emotion. The stories behind the individual journeys of these 8 men are incredible in terms of the scope of the dream they are all striving to achieve. The world of amateur wrestling, although foreign to most of the common public, is one of the most intense and grueling settings I have ever found myself in. While living with basically no financial assistance or public support these athletes have become some of the most elite on the planet. Constantly pushing, grinding, and reassuring themselves that it will all be worth it at the end of their journeys. They soldier on day after day towards something uncertain that they have believed in since they each were children, a desire most people on the planet can relate to.

We have brought a professional and creative eye to showcase not only the sport, but the personal lives of these competitors in a beautiful and compelling way in which it has never before been shown. We look to do the "reality" genre a favor by showcasing exactly that, the harshest realities that this world has to offer. The cast has already shown openness never before witnessed on the screen. There will be no staged drama or written lines, only the hearts and dreams of these men, on full display for the world to see in a four part hour long episodic series. Hinging on the desire, drive, and effort put in to be the very best at something, our production will be no different than the lives of the subjects we are following.

As a former wrestler I have always been a very firm believer in the importance of chasing your dreams and working your hardest to get where you need to be to achieve them. After graduating from Ohio University with a major in TV Production and minors in Film and Sociology I immediately entered the work force, trying to chase my dreams of becoming a filmmaker. I quickly realized that working for other peoples productions was not what I wanted to be doing. I also found myself becoming increasingly unhappy the longer that I found myself away from the sport of wrestling. I decided it was time to make a change and follow through with all of the beliefs that had been instilled in me by this wonderful sport. I had seen the sacrifice and dedication that the Ohio RTC athletes showcase day in and day out and was immediately inspired. I feel like every person on this planet has a dream at some point in their life and 99% of the population walk away from them for one reason or another. I have become tired of putting off my own dreams on account of people telling me this "is not how things work". I believe that, not unlike 'iron sharpening iron", passion sharpens passion and I cannot think of a more important journey than the one taken to chase down a dream. The greatest things I have learned about my true self in this world have come from the sport I love so dearly and I want nothing more than to share that gift (the journey of self discovery) with the rest of the world. You can become a part of the journey by helping us follow them through their Olympic dreams and sharing their stories with you. The support of this project is the support for every person chasing a dream, every person refusing to back down from adversity, and every person willing to fight and claw their way to their destiny. Become a part of history as these athletes attempt to win an unprecedented 6 Olympic gold medals in London this summer.]]> Sat, 17 Mar 2012 16:37:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/607-Tervel-Dlagnev/video/621325-Ithaka http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/614815-Ithaka-Calm-Before-The-Storm Arriving there is what you are destined for.
But do not hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you would not have set out."
- C.P. Cavafy

An Olympic wrestling docu-reality series following the journey of men who refuse to back down from their dreams.]]> Thu, 01 Mar 2012 07:24:00 CST http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/614815-Ithaka-Calm-Before-The-Storm http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/576000-Ithaka-Teaser Thu, 19 Jan 2012 08:35:00 CST http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/576000-Ithaka-Teaser http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/995-J-Jaggers/video/503979-Henry-Cejudo-Joins-the-Ohio-RTC-Team Wed, 17 Aug 2011 12:14:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/995-J-Jaggers/video/503979-Henry-Cejudo-Joins-the-Ohio-RTC-Team http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/495796-120-s-Jarod-Trice-Gator-vs-Tommy-Rowlands-Sunkist Sat, 11 Jun 2011 16:59:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/495796-120-s-Jarod-Trice-Gator-vs-Tommy-Rowlands-Sunkist http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/495768-120-f-Steve-Mocco-LVWC-vs-Tommy-Rowlands-Ohio-RTC Sat, 11 Jun 2011 14:59:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/495768-120-f-Steve-Mocco-LVWC-vs-Tommy-Rowlands-Ohio-RTC http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/490439-Tommy-Rowlands-and-the-Conquest-brand Sun, 15 May 2011 12:31:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/490439-Tommy-Rowlands-and-the-Conquest-brand http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/4790-The-Mafia-Inside-USA-Wrestling Tue, 03 May 2011 00:10:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/4790-The-Mafia-Inside-USA-Wrestling http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/4893-Grand-Finale Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:36:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/4893-Grand-Finale http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/475076-Tommy-2011-OHSAA-State-Tournament Mon, 07 Mar 2011 21:01:00 CST http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/475076-Tommy-2011-OHSAA-State-Tournament http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/471637-Tommy_Jr Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:43:00 CST http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/471637-Tommy_Jr http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/468566-Tommy-Rowlands-discusses-gold-medal-at-Cerro-Pelado-in-Cuba Thu, 24 Feb 2011 18:26:00 CST http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/468566-Tommy-Rowlands-discusses-gold-medal-at-Cerro-Pelado-in-Cuba http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/346267-Rowlands-talks-about-success-on-and-off-the-mat-NEOhio-Camp Thu, 08 Jul 2010 16:33:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/346267-Rowlands-talks-about-success-on-and-off-the-mat-NEOhio-Camp http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/346138-Vondruska-Camp-Intro Wed, 07 Jul 2010 19:29:33 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/346138-Vondruska-Camp-Intro http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/346012-Rowlands-in-NE-Ohio Tue, 06 Jul 2010 18:11:32 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/346012-Rowlands-in-NE-Ohio http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/341178-120-KG-FS-SF-Dom-Bradley-VS-Tommy-Rowlands Sun, 13 Jun 2010 22:04:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/341178-120-KG-FS-SF-Dom-Bradley-VS-Tommy-Rowlands http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/341173-120-KG-FS-R1-Kevin-Lester-VS-Tommy-Rowlands Sun, 13 Jun 2010 21:53:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/341173-120-KG-FS-R1-Kevin-Lester-VS-Tommy-Rowlands http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/341298-120-KG-FS-CON-SF-Tommy-Rowlands-VS-Cameron-Wade Sun, 13 Jun 2010 10:55:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/341298-120-KG-FS-CON-SF-Tommy-Rowlands-VS-Cameron-Wade http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/341294-120-KG-FS-3rd-Place-Challenge-Tournament-Aaron-Anspach-VS-Tommy-Rowlands Sun, 13 Jun 2010 10:24:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/341294-120-KG-FS-3rd-Place-Challenge-Tournament-Aaron-Anspach-VS-Tommy-Rowlands http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/334128-Tommy-Rowlands Sat, 15 May 2010 02:40:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/334128-Tommy-Rowlands http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/330268-Tommy-Rowlands-Technique-The-Pucillo-Pick Tue, 27 Apr 2010 15:18:34 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/330268-Tommy-Rowlands-Technique-The-Pucillo-Pick http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/330023-Rowlands-Fights-Back-For-Bronze Mon, 26 Apr 2010 14:10:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/330023-Rowlands-Fights-Back-For-Bronze http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/330040-120-KG-3rd-Place-Blake-Gillis-VS-Tommy-Rowlands Mon, 26 Apr 2010 05:02:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/330040-120-KG-3rd-Place-Blake-Gillis-VS-Tommy-Rowlands http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/329486-120-kg-qf-Dom-Bradely-Sunkist-vs-Tommy-Rowlands-Sunkist Sat, 24 Apr 2010 15:03:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/329486-120-kg-qf-Dom-Bradely-Sunkist-vs-Tommy-Rowlands-Sunkist http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/326097-Tommy-Rowlands-Bishop_Ready_Technique Tue, 13 Apr 2010 10:39:51 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/326097-Tommy-Rowlands-Bishop_Ready_Technique http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/4738-Road-to-Baku-Cog-Hill Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:16:00 CST http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/4738-Road-to-Baku-Cog-Hill http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/264654-Tommy-and-Tommy-Jr Sun, 17 Jan 2010 02:27:00 CST http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/264654-Tommy-and-Tommy-Jr http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/175425-Tommy-Rowlands-into-Business-World Fri, 01 May 2009 18:35:00 CDT http://www.ohiortc.com/speaker/191-Tommy-Rowlands/video/175425-Tommy-Rowlands-into-Business-World