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Floor's Olympic dreams take beating

C.J. Floor believes he should be on the wrestling mat, training for the Olympics.

Floor, a 2009 Port Jervis graduate, said he earned the right to represent American Samoa next month in London.

Floor, 21, placed second at 211 pounds in the freestyle division at the African/Oceania qualifier in March in Morocco. He became the first American Samoa wrestler to win a competitive berth into the Summer Games.

But a disagreement between Floor and Ethan Lake, the president of the American Samoa Wrestling Association, has cost Floor his Olympic dream.

Floor requested to have someone other than Lake, the island's national team coach, in his corner for the London Games. Floor suggested his father, Carl, brother, Sean, or former high school coaches at Port Jervis.

"I wanted someone who actually knew what they were doing," said Floor, who moved to American Samoa to care for his grandmother. Lake "doesn't know much about the sport. He says stuff that gets in your head mentally and puts you down."

Lake said he was strong-armed by Carl Floor.

"He said, 'If I can't go as the coach, I'll tell C.J. not to go, either," Lake said.