Where are they now? With Jeremy Hart

[caption id=attachment_377" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Former South Adams wrestler Jeremy Hart in action at Penn State][/caption]

By Corey Sparks

Wrestler Name: Jeremy Hart

High School: South Adams Jr.-Sr. High School, IN & State College High School, PA

College: Penn State University

First things first, who is Jeremy Hart and why has he been selected to be featured in the first article of "Where are they now?"  Jeremy Hart is one of the most driven individuals I have ever met.  I first met Jeremy as an elementary wrestler back in the early 90's.  The Gold Wrestling Club was in the beginning stages, and Jeremy's father, Brad Hart was one of the founders of the organization.

I returned to the South Adams Wrestling program in 1998.  The short and pudgy Jeremy Hart was now a freshman at South Adams and to my surprise, he had grown up.  I know that's what kids do, I always hated it when grandparents would say that, "Wow, kid...you have grown since the last time I seen you!"  Jeremy Hart had become a young man.  He worked harder as a freshman, then any other kid in the room.  There were juniors and seniors coming to us after practice once or twice a week asking, no begging us to talk to Jeremy about going 100% all the time from the start of practice to the end of practice.

Jeremy's passion for wrestling and to achieve greatness is why he was my choice for this first write up of "Where are they now!"

Interview by Corey Sparks, South Adams Wrestling

Talk a little about your High School Wrestling Experience:

[caption id=attachment_378" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Former South Adams wrestler Jeremy Hart in action at Penn State][/caption]

I wrestled my freshman season at South Adams. I had a decent season and record for a freshman, but fell short of my goal of winning a state title when I didn't even make it out of sectional. The loss my freshman year at sectional to Chad Bollenbacher from Adams Central stuck with me throughout my High School career and served as a great source of motivation.

Soon after my freshman year my family moved from Berne, IN to State College, PA. In State College I had access to resources like I never knew existed. At the outset I trained year round with a former Penn State wrestler and Olympian, Ken Chertow. At the beginning of my sophomore year at State High I began training with former Penn State wrestler, Chad Dubin. I really credit Ken and Chad for my high school success. Ken laid a foundation of good technique and taught me how to push myself. Chad developed my style and showed me the finer points of the sport.

I ended up placing in Pennsylvania AAA state three times in high school. As a sophomore I placed 7^th. I was runner-up as a junior, losing to 4-2 to Rocky Mantella in the finals, and as a senior I placed third. I lost a 5-4 heartbreaker in the semifinals to Jake Herbert, giving up a takedown in the last 10 seconds of the match.

After high school I decided to attend Penn State University on a wrestling scholarship.

High School Wrestling in Indiana vs. Pennsylvania:

I think that Indiana has some great high school wrestling. However, I don't see it consistently producing the same quantity or quality of wrestlers as Pennsylvania. I think one of the big reasons for this is the strength and seriousness of the youth programs in Pennsylvania. Granted, Indiana has youth wrestling clubs. However, they're not the same as clubs that exist in PA like the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, Angry Fish, Ken Chertow's Olympian Wrestling School, and many others that bring the best wrestlers within a 100 mile radius together in one place to train. Additionally, these clubs are led by professional coaches; former NCAA wrestlers and All-Americans who have devoted their lives to developing young wrestlers into state and NCAA champions coach these clubs.  The proof is ultimately in the performance of the state's athletes at the highest levels of competition. Each year there are far more All-Americans at Fargo from PA than from IN, and PA always has more All-Americans at NCAA's. I think it all begins with the quality and seriousness of the feeder programs.

Views on Class Wrestling (A big debate within the State of Indiana, I just want to get your perspective since you were a part of both sides):

I think this debate must be analyzed according to the purposes of high school wrestling. At the end of the day, the purpose of high school wrestling is to develop character, hard work, and discipline in the boys who participate. The existence of a class structure has no bearing on the accomplishment of this aim. However, a secondary purpose of high school wrestling is to give the largest number of young men the opportunity to wrestle at a collegiate level, possibly with financial assistance for the fruits of their labor on the mat. This objective cuts toward a class system. The placement of a wrestler at the state tournament is a quality indicator for college coaches. It's not the only quality indicator, but it is an important one nonetheless. A state with a single class is doing an incredibly inefficient job at exposing the spectrum of quality of its wrestlers because, by definition, only eight wrestlers can place. Thus, a wrestler who may have placed in a smaller school division, or in a bigger school division, but failed to place in a single class structure may be denied exposure to college coaches which he would have had if he had competed in a class system. If the high schools in a state really wish to maximize the opportunities for their athlete's to compete at the collegiate level, they will ensure them maximum exposure. Sure, a single class system results in one state champion. That may give that individual something to brag about, but it does little for the overall good of wrestling in the state. When more wrestlers are exposed to colleges due to placement in the state tournament, more wrestlers wrestle in college. When more wrestlers wrestle in college, more college wrestlers populate the state from which they came. These wrestlers then become the coaches of the youth clubs and high schools sowing the knowledge gleaned from collegiate wrestling into younger wresters, and thus the entire level of wrestling in the state is raised. In short, classes are a good thing. Instead of eight placers per weight, you now have 16 or 24 depending on the number of classes. More exposure means more college wrestlers, more college wrestlers means better wrestling in the state.

I've gotten somewhat long-winded above, but that argument doesn't even take into account the non-wrestling benefits of class wrestling: increased revenue potential from the state tournaments, increased educational opportunities for those wrestlers who do get financial assistance to go to college, etc...

Summer Wrestling & Summer Camp Experiences:

I wrestled every summer all summer without exception. I was either at a camp or wrestling for a national team in Fargo. The saying is cliché, but true, "Summer wrestling makes winter champions."

National & International Experiences:

I competed nationally at Fargo twice as a Cadet and twice as a Junior. I was a Junior National All-American in freestyle in 2001. In college I wrestled FILA Junior Nationals, where I was an All-American, and University Nationals. I won one international tournament which was held in Puerto Rico.

D1 College Wrestling Experiences:

Wrestling at the D1 level is like nothing else I've ever experienced. It is truly not only a sport, but a way of life. Everything revolves around training and competing, and nearly every aspect of your life (My relationship with Jesus and my family still had priorty) gives way to the goal of being a national champion.

You compete against the best wrestlers in the country every match. Every single dual is like wrestling a state championship match.

What was it like to wrestle for Penn State?

Wrestling for Penn State was a dream come true. There is no program east of the Mississippi with the wrestling heritage that Penn State has. I was proud to wear the Blue and White, and I did my best to represent Penn State well. There is nothing like wrestling in front of 5,000 screaming fans at Rec Hall.

Favorite practice partner & why?

James Yonushonis. He was always one of the most intense guys in the room, and he never took the easy way out or did anything halfway. We got into fist fight at least once a week because our matches would be so physical and intense, but we pushed each other and made each other better.

Who was your toughest opponent and why?

Troy Letters from Lehigh. He was one of the few guys I wrestled who was both strong as an ox and flawless in technique. His defense was so good that you had to get desperate to try and score, which, of course, made his offense look even better.

Most memorable match?

My junior year in the state semi-finals I was wrestling a senior ranked number one in the state. The match went into double overtime and I got the flip, took down, and escaped with :07 on the clock. All 7,000 people in Hershey arena went nuts. That was probably when I first realized that none of the success I had had up to that point was a fluke. I realized that I belonged wrestling at a high level.

What impact has wrestling had on your life?

It has taught me how to work harder than even the hardest workers that never wrestled. I am able to go the extra mile and do what no one else is willing to do to succeed because I did it for so long on the mat. Wrestling taught me rigorous discipline, how to perform under pressure, and how to learn from mistakes and correct them. Most people are simply lazy, crack under pressure and would rather be mediocre than learn from mistakes and improve.

If you would have had to choose a different sport, what would it have been?

Lacrosse. You get to hit people with a stick, and I hear they don't have to make weight!

What was your main source of motivation?

I motivated myself. I'm a perfectionist by nature. So, I was always, and still am my biggest critic and motivator.

Do you have any future plans with Wrestling?

I'll always be involved in the sport in one way or another. Serious coaching isn't really for me, but I'll always have my hand in the sport in some way.

What are you doing presently?

I am currently in law school at the Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

What are your future plans?

I'm going to graduate from law school, hopefully clerk for a judge, and then develop a practice in commercial and/or employment and labor litigation. Any attorneys who are wrestling fans out there that want to discuss job opportunities should give me a call!

Any last words you would like Wrestling Fans to know?

I would like to thank them. Wrestling fans, like wrestlers, are a special breed, and the fans are a large part of what makes a wrestling experience like mine memorable. Thank You!