January 10, 2007

Athens, OH (CSTV U-WIRE) -- Ohio wrestler Jacob Ison has led the charge at 165 pounds for the Bobcats, winning 12 of his last 15 matches. With the 'Cats off until next Friday, he took the time to sit down with The Post's Jess Mosser and chat about everything from weight loss to lumberjack shows.

The Post: Wrestlers are asked to add or drop pounds quickly. What's the craziest thing you've ever done to cut weight?

Ison: I think I lost 14 pounds once in two days. I just tried to work out four times a day and I actually went sled riding with a bunch of sweats on. That was probably one of the most excruciating things.

Post: Lately you've been sporting a mask to protect your broken nose. How well do you see out of that thing?

Ison: It's like football; it has one line right down the middle so you're seeing two of everything. It kind of makes you a little dizzy, but after a while you get used to it.

Post: Has anyone made any Hannibal Lecter jokes yet?

Ison: Yeah, there's been a couple.

Post: When most people think of wrestling, they think of the glitzier pro wrestling. Did you have a favorite pro wrestler growing up?

Ison: No, I hated it. My parents wouldn't let me watch it. I just didn't like it.

Post: Your teammate Antoine Love wears a bow tie in his team headshot. Is there any chance that he could be starting a trend for the rest of the team?

Ison: I don't know. Antoine does what he wants. He's out there, a little goofy.

Post: Outside of wrestling, you do logrolling for a lumberjack show. Have you ever taken a nasty fall?

Ison: Oh, I've done splits a time or two.

Post: Is there crossover between logrolling and wrestling as far as skills are concerned?

Ison: You get a lot of balance. I think that when I wrestle and a guy has my leg up in the air and you'll see me bouncing around a lot, I think that ties in with logrolling, too. You have to have good balance.

Post: Any special pre-match rituals or superstitions?

Ison: I like to listen to a certain playlist on my CD player before a match but that's about it.

Post: Your hometown of Batavia, Ohio, is near Cincinnati. Are you a Bengals fan?

Ison: Yeah, I'm a huge Bengals fan.

Post: What was the first thing that went through your mind after they botched that extra point at the end of regulation against Denver?

Ison: Oh man, my heart just dropped. I just couldn't believe it.

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