nkraus Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 OTHER COLLEGE WRESTLERS PLEASE PARTICIPATE I am going to make this a short blog with a little background info of what has happened the last few years. First of all, the reason I chose to wrestle in high school is simple. In basketball the coach decided how much playing time I got. In wrestling I decided my own mat time. My high school career involved a lot of ups and downs. I started off as a freshman with a losing record. My sophomore year I started to gain confidence and had a decent year. Both my freshman and sophomore years ended at the LaPorte Regional. My junior year was the turning point in my career. My father, who was my biggest fan passed away and I had some trouble dealing with this. I turned my junior year into a decent year, but it ended at the Merrillville Semi-State. My senior year I finally broke through and placed 3rd in state at 171 pounds. On to college... I had a few division 3 schools contact me about wrestling. I also had William-Penn, an NAIA school, recruit me. Tri-State (Currently Trine) was close to home and had a new wrestling program. I went on a visit to Trine and I really liked the school and the small town atmosphere. Since I attended New Prairie High School, which was a small farming town, Trine seemed like it would make for an easy adjustment. My freshman year @ Tri State (Trine) we wrestled a very competitive schedule. We were not eligible for the NCAA tournament because we were on our probationary period(new schools go through this before they are NCAA eligible) I compiled a record of 26-15 and learned a lot about myself. I was the most stubborn person there was on and off the mat. I finally started to wrestle with more technique rather than trying to "out funk" everybody. Sophomore year @ Tri-State (Trine) WE ARE REGIONAL ELIGIBLE. Our team had a dual against the Wisconsin Badgers. We lost! BUTTTT...I beat Matt Maciag, who was a D1 national qualifier the year before by a 7-6 decision. This was a great feeling. Then I learned it's not a good thing to get a big head! I had a bit of a sophomore slump for a while. I made it to the regional finals and lost to the eventual 4th place finisher in D3. I finished 28-10. Junior year @ TRINE (PRESENT) This year has been a successful year on the mat. This year I have started to realize that WRESTLING IS A TEAM SPORT!!! Yes, when you are on the mat it is just you and your opponent, but I would like to know a wrestler who has gotten better by himself. All successful wrestlers need good practice partners. Without great partners, it is hard to be a successful wrestler. Currently I am 26-3 and the regional is this weekend. I am looking forward to the regional and I am hoping the hard work has paid off and that I can advance to the national tournament. The most important thing I have learned since being in college is this: Wrestling is not a right, it is a privilege. I am lucky to come from a high school that had wrestling. I also have learned a lot of life lessons from wrestling. When I am having a bad day, going to wrestling practice can be miserable, or it can be what I make of it. I prefer to make wrestling practice a get-a-way. I also feel that if a wrestler can make it through a season of practices and meets, then he should never be late to his job. As Dan Gable said, "Once you have wrestled, everything else in life is easy." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drooke Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Thanks so much for posting Nick. Good luck at regionals this weekend. I can't wait to here how it went. What are you getting your degree in? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nkraus Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 physical education/health education. Grades k-12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2CJ41 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Yo, Nicky boy, Wanna do that on the main site? I can set you up with a password and such? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nkraus Posted February 19, 2009 Author Share Posted February 19, 2009 sure... just give me the details of what to do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drooke Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Hey Nick it was good to see you make the front page. I can't wait for the next installment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabio Jr. Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 its late and i cant sleep this looks interesting...maybe ill throw one out tom i started one last year it kinda died out tho Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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