The Flying Squirrel Has Landed - in London

Ellis Coleman, the Oak Park River Forest High School graduate known for his Flying Squirrel move, is in London getting ready to take on all comers - in his 60-kilogram weight class - on Aug. 6.

And he'll have a hometown crew in the stands at the ExCeL to root him on.

Coleman's coach, Mike Powell, and other Huskie wrestling fans are winging their way to London via Madrid and Greece. In an e-mail, Powell said he'll have quite a rooting section - about 35 people in all. "They are all connected to the Huskie wrestling family," Powell said. "There is a lot of love for Ellis."

His mother, Yolanda Barral, her son Lillashawn Coleman, who also wrestled at OPRF, and her daughter Hashika Barral will leave next week for a week to catch the action. A community helped make that happen.

She's pretty pumped. "I can't wait. I'm counting the days," she said.

Barral said she and her daughter also want to watch women's basketball. Hashika played point guard for the Huskies and now at College of DuPage, and Barral said she and her daughter particularly want to see Candace Parker. Parker, a former standout at Naperville North High School, is a forward for the LA Sparks of the WNBA and will be on the U.S. Women's Olympic team.

The OPRF graduate, 20, made it on the U.S. Olympic Team after beating wrestler Joe Betterman in the Team Trials this April in Iowa City.

Barral last spoke to her son a week ago while he was still at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Spring, where's been preparing for his Olympic debut. She said he was feeling fine and was working to lose some weight so he can compete in his weight class.

She said she didn't mention London too much, "I didn't want to stress him out," she said.

Powell speaks with Ellis regularly and notes he is doing great. "Currently, he is starting to taper his workouts and cut weight (he pulls a ton of weight). His mindset is strong. We speak regularly about keeping perspective, being grateful for his opportunities, focusing on what is in his control and leaving the rest to higher powers," Powell said.

Best wishes comments keep getting posted on his Facebook page, wishing him luck and telling him how proud they are that he is representing Oak Park and the USA.

Powell noted that Ellis is amongst the best stories of the games and calls him a definite medal threat. It's one day, and he only needs to win four matches to win it, his coach said.

"I hope people can appreciate everything he has overcome to get to where he is. And... he's just getting started.

While she's watching her son, Barral said she plans to wear a gray, blue and red tee-shirt with his name on it. And she said she hopes to get an Internet connection so she can post pictures on Facebook.

She hopes to see her son before his preliminary match. It doesn't matter whether he takes the gold, she said.

"Win or lose, he'll still be a gold medalist in my heart," she said.

The preliminary round for the Greco-Roman 60-kilogram weight class starts at 7 a.m. Central Standard Time, if it's televised. The gold medal round, if broadcast, starts at 11:45 a.m. CST.  All matches for that weight class will be on Aug. 6.