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Silver headed to Summer Olympics

Will assist U.S. freestyle wrestling team

Heath E. Combs -- Furniture Today, June 9, 2008

FORNEY, Texas — Steve Silver will have a pretty good reason to miss the Las Vegas Market this July.

You might even see why if you watch the Summer Olympics in Beijing on TV. Silver, president of dining and occasional table source Steve Silver Co., will not only attend the games, he will walk into the Olympic Stadium with the U.S. Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Team.

A passionate wrestling fan and supporter for years, Silver is what’s called the “team leader” for the wrestlers — a combination of logistics coordinator and manager. He’ll make sure wrestlers are weighed on time and move fluidly through the Olympic Village.

He’ll live with the seven wrestlers, who range in age from 25 to 34, getting them where they need to go.

“I get to do all they do except compete,” Silver said.

Wrestling has been at the center of Silver’s life since he was 14. He wrestled in high school in Spencer Port, N.Y., and went on to compete for the University of Alabama. There he met his wife, Debbie, a team supporter.

After graduation, he stayed involved in the sport. Six of his seven children have wrestled and Silver has served as an assistant coach. He helped get wrestling programs started at schools in Texas, and worked to bring intercollegiate wrestling to the University of Texas.

Last year he was one of three people honored by the National Wrestling Coaches Assn. with the Dan Gable America Needs Wrestling Award, which recognizes individuals whose efforts have had a significant impact on promotion of the sport.

Since 2005, Silver has served as a team leader for U.S. wrestlers, taking them to Hungary, China and Azerbaijan for world championships.

Why did USA Wrestling call for him to be freestyle team leader for the Olympics?

“One, I know China because of the business, and I know associates in wrestling. (The athletes) need leadership; they need to know how we get there, where to stay, how to make arrangements with parents for tickets, and how to put everything all together,” Silver said.

His job as a team leader requires that he know the rules, the terrain, and the individual needs of his wrestlers.

“It’s lots of compliance,” he said. “How is the team going to get from here to there? Or, this guy has to make weight tomorrow and they’re four-to-five pounds overweight. Or they need to warm up and get with training partners and to the facility to compete. Some of these guys need a certain meal to be successful.”

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