Idiocuse22&
2nd String
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- Sep 14, 2023
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The thought behind this post came from a lengthy post I had made in response to how maybe some players, specifically basketball, do not have the "clear eyes, full hearts, cant lose" mentality.
Basically, just a college kid thats pretty good at ball but their heart isn't really in it and lack the necessary motivation to truly thrive. I have seen it first hand. Anyways, i didn't post it because it was unecessary but I was reminded of a cool memory.
Back in the late 80s my cousin was a NYS champion wrestler. I think he won once and lost twice in the finals his freshman to junior years.
He was a lightweight, thinking 91lbs or if he couldn't make weight next one up.
He hated the whole stress of losing weight and literally destroying hisself...so he quit before his senior year and chose basketball.
Everyone was shocked, family, coaches, teachers and the one guy that quickly became his friend that was recruiting him very hard to go to SU to wrestle.
Gene Mills.
I think it was 1986 on Thanksgiving, we were all eating dinner at Grandmas. After a while at Grandmas but before the actual dinner, this young man shows up in an ole SU letterman jacket. Me at probably 10 yrs old had no clue or cared at all.
I just remember that Dad and all the
"old" guys were excited that he was there.
But what I remember the most is this guy taking over the conversation at the table during dinner. He was clearly the guest of honor.
He didn't hold anything back, spoke with passion and before anyone had gotten up from the table they had laughed, cried and thanked him for coming.
So when I was here reading the whole lack of heart/motivation of athletes, I remembered quite vividly this story about how my cousin quit wrestling.
I remembered that impressive guy at Thanksgiving and wondered what he could've shared that made everyone so engaged and emotional...so I googled Gene Mills...
The most impressive part of that story is how he lost 18lbs in 12 hours bc he couldn't train for weeks due to illness, just so he would make weight to wrestle the russian gold medalist, 2 weeks after the USA boycotted the russian olympics...he could barely walk due to the exhaustion from sucking weight...He won a tight one, match video in link.
Another couple weeks after that match...he whooped that russian so bad and so fast.
*Now that I think of it, its a shame SU doesn't have a wrestling program now. I would definitely attend an SU wrestling match!
NYS is not deprived of wrestling talent. Friend from high school was one of the best in his weight class in TN...moved here JR year and was slightly above average at best in Section III.
Basically, just a college kid thats pretty good at ball but their heart isn't really in it and lack the necessary motivation to truly thrive. I have seen it first hand. Anyways, i didn't post it because it was unecessary but I was reminded of a cool memory.
Back in the late 80s my cousin was a NYS champion wrestler. I think he won once and lost twice in the finals his freshman to junior years.
He was a lightweight, thinking 91lbs or if he couldn't make weight next one up.
He hated the whole stress of losing weight and literally destroying hisself...so he quit before his senior year and chose basketball.
Everyone was shocked, family, coaches, teachers and the one guy that quickly became his friend that was recruiting him very hard to go to SU to wrestle.
Gene Mills.
I think it was 1986 on Thanksgiving, we were all eating dinner at Grandmas. After a while at Grandmas but before the actual dinner, this young man shows up in an ole SU letterman jacket. Me at probably 10 yrs old had no clue or cared at all.
I just remember that Dad and all the
"old" guys were excited that he was there.
But what I remember the most is this guy taking over the conversation at the table during dinner. He was clearly the guest of honor.
He didn't hold anything back, spoke with passion and before anyone had gotten up from the table they had laughed, cried and thanked him for coming.
So when I was here reading the whole lack of heart/motivation of athletes, I remembered quite vividly this story about how my cousin quit wrestling.
I remembered that impressive guy at Thanksgiving and wondered what he could've shared that made everyone so engaged and emotional...so I googled Gene Mills...
The most impressive part of that story is how he lost 18lbs in 12 hours bc he couldn't train for weeks due to illness, just so he would make weight to wrestle the russian gold medalist, 2 weeks after the USA boycotted the russian olympics...he could barely walk due to the exhaustion from sucking weight...He won a tight one, match video in link.
Another couple weeks after that match...he whooped that russian so bad and so fast.
*Now that I think of it, its a shame SU doesn't have a wrestling program now. I would definitely attend an SU wrestling match!
NYS is not deprived of wrestling talent. Friend from high school was one of the best in his weight class in TN...moved here JR year and was slightly above average at best in Section III.
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