Two Panthers head to China for wrestling, chopped duck

For two Pitt student-athletes, the wide world of sports recently provided them the opportunity… For two Pitt student-athletes, the wide world of sports recently provided them the opportunity of a lifetime.

Ron Tarquinio and Drew Headlee, members of the Pitt wrestling team, traveled to Beijing from June 13-22, as part of the National Wrestling Coaches Association’s All-Star Tour.

The 10-day trip took an All-Star team of 10 wrestlers from the collegiate level on a tour to the site of the 2008 Olympic Games where they met up for as many as six dual meets against some of the best freestyle wrestlers China had to offer.

Not only did the team get to wrestle some tough competition, but its members also took in the sights of China’s top historical and cultural landmarks as well, such as the Great Wall of China, Tiananmen Square, the Imperial Palace and the Forbidden City.

In a small journal the two kept on PittsburghPanthers.com, they said, “We both had a lot of fun, wrestling, touring and meeting new people. It truly was an experience of a lifetime and something that we will remember for the rest of our lives.”

On the wrestling side of things, Tarquinio left China after a pretty successful week of an undefeated 4-0 record.

His first bouts came on day one of the trip at the Beijing Club. The Beijing Club is a top-notch facility that houses the Chinese athletes as they train each day.

Tarquinio won his first match at the Beijing Club, 3-0 and 4-1. He added on a couple more victories during day three, despite not having some calls go his way.

“While Tarquinio was wrestling, the calls went in favor of the Chinese two or three times when they should have gone to him,” Headlee wrote in the journal, “however, he did win 4-3, 1-1 and 2-0.”

His final matches came at a different wrestling club that the two believed to be not as nice as the Beijing Club, but housed better wrestlers.

The fact that there was higher competition didn’t mean much to Tarquinio, who won both of the matches he wrestled. The two wins bumped his overall record to the 4-0 with which he finished.

Between the days of wrestling, Headlee and Tarquinio visited a number of different sites in China. Of all the sites, however, Headlee noted that the Great Wall of China was the best.

“Before the trip I imagined the wall to be a spectacular site, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw and experienced,” Headlee said. “As we got into visual range of the wall it was probably the most amazing thing that I have ever seen.”

In addition to the sightseeing and wrestling, the two also had some free time in which they were able to do as they wished.

During the first night, the two decided to get a body massage after dinner to help relax them after the 13-hour plane ride. On another day, Headlee went to a “knock-off market” with a couple teammates for some cheap merchandise.

There were no set prices and because China doesn’t have copyright laws, a lot of name brands were replicated and sold much cheaper. Headlee picked up two pairs of running shoes for just $35 total.

“The fun part is bargaining with the employees to get the lowest price possible,” he said.

On their final day of the experience, the two enjoyed a famous Chinese meal for dinner — The Peking Duck. Before the meal, the cooks even bring out the full duck to the table and chop its head off right in front of his customers.

“I did not mind, because I was hungry,” Headlee wrote. “It was a good final meal for China, but Ron and I both could not wait to be home and eat American food once again.”