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    Gelen Robinson - A Man for All Seasons

    By Chad Hollenbaugh

    IndianaMat Senior Writer

     

    Winter, spring, summer or fall.....it never mattered to Gelen Robinson, he competed through them all. The recently graduated Robinson, from Lake Central High School (St. John, IN) completed his storied high school career a few weeks back with a state championship in the discus and a third place finish in the shot put. A third place medal and a state title are impressive graduation presents and very few athletes ever get to end their high school athletic career on such a high note. For Robinson it was perhaps a little more, it was the capstone, the culmination of the greatest four year run of athletic achievement in the history of the state of Indiana.

     

    FOOTBALL - THE FIRST LOVE

     

    Physical by nature, Robinson had a stand out career as an outside linebacker for Lake Central. As a sophomore he was named the area's Defensive Player of the Year and was all state. His name quickly circulated in the recruiting game as he attended football camps during his summer "off-season." His junior year included another player of the year honor and multiple all state team selections.Scholarships offers from multiple B1G conference schools followed and Robinson chose Purdue University as his next stop. An outside linebacker who is equally comfortable playing with his hand on the ground or in space, Robinson is the highlight of Purdue's recruiting class and according to ESPN B1G conference guru, Brian Bennett. Robinson will compete from day one for playing time for the rebuilding Boilermakers.

     

    Football might be the first love, but Robinson's name will go down in history because of his achievements he accumulated during the rest of his high school career.

     

    WRESTLING - WHERE HARD WORK GETS REWARDED

     

    I first became aware of Robinson five years ago after reading a small article about him winning a Middle School "state" title. Following a moderately successful freshman campaign which included over 30 wins and qualifying for semi-state, Robinson broke out as a state force in his sophomore year. Using a Greco based offensive attack, he was very exciting to watch as he would constantly attack from his feet and looked to toss his opponents. He finished his sophomore year with a 47-5 record and a third place finish in the state meet. It was at this state meet where many became impressed with Robinson's poise and maturity. During his semifinal match, he had several close calls not go his way and lost by decision to the eventual state champion. The stoic Robinson never batted an eye and continued to execute the game plan of attacking. It was an impressive display of maturity and class for a sophomore in high school.

     

    Not one to rest on his laurels, Robinson spent what time he could in a local club to try to improve as an overall wrestler. This hard work paid off as major improvements could be noted between his sophomore and junior years. In addition to his upper body arsenal, Robinson had mastered a single leg takedown, a high crotch, and a devastating blast double. These were on display along with his amazing shot defense in his final two seasons where he was rarely challenged and ran off 101 straight victories and two state titles.

     

    This spring, Robinson was named to the honorable mention list of the Asics All-American team. What would have happened if Gelen would have chosen wrestling over football in college? No one knows for sure but with his penchant for hard work combined with plenty of God given talent, the sky would be the limit in many experts estimation.

     

    TRACK AND FIELD - ATTENTION TO DETAIL

     

    Spring sports in general seem to get the short shrift in terms of media attention but for Gelen Robinson, it was another opportunity to keep the competitive juices flowing. In the discus and shot put rings, Robinson achieved marks that, on a national scale, outpaced his impressive resume on the football field and wrestling mat. As a frosh, Robinson qualified for state in the discus and had a season's best of nearly 160 feet. He also tossed the shot over the 50 foot mark.

     

    The following three springs saw Robinson pick up six medals in the shot put and discus. A 1st in discus this spring along with two runner-up finishes, two third places, and a 7th his sophomore year. Medaling that many times in the state meet is very impressive but the distance in which he tossed the discus the past two seasons put Gelen in a nationally elite group. His tosses of over 200 feet in 2013 and slightly under 200 feet this spring both ranked as the 6th best prep efforts in the nation.

     

    HISTORY - BEFORE OUR VERY EYES

     

    In the late 1960s, Indianapolis Washington produced George McGinnis, who was all-state in both football and basketball. On the hardwood, he was LeBron, fifteen years before LeBron was even born. McGinnis was a do-it-all power forward who scored, rebounded (better) and dished the ball like the aforementioned King James.

     

    The 1980s produced Rod Woodson, out of Fort Wayne. Woodson is, of course, a NFL Hall of Famer but in his high school and college days, he was also a state champion and All-American hurdler in track and field. As icing on the proverbial cake, Woodson played basketball in his junior and senior years of high school and was an all-conference performer.

     

    Tim Bishop of Valparaiso was an All-State performer in football, basketball and baseball in 1993-94. Bishop was offered a full ride for football at Indiana University, led his team to a state runner-up in basketball and was drafted by the New York Mets. He was playing in their minor league system when his life was tragically cut short in an auto accident.

     

    Valparaiso High School produced another of Indiana's all-time great high school athletes in Jeff Samardzija (2003 graduate). A multiple time all-state honoree in both football and baseball, the lanky Samardzija also played basketball in high school. He played both football and baseball for Notre Dame and was a two time All-American in football. Drafted by the Cubs, he is currently the ace of their staff and recently turned down a 5 year, $85 million dollar contract offer by the Cubbies.

     

    How does Gelen Robinson stack up against those studs listed above? In terms of just high school accomplishments, I think Robinson stands atop the group. No matter what the future brings for the youngster, folks in Indiana will surely remember him as "A Man for All Seasons."

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