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#41
08-06-2007
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My name is Dave Whitten, 36, and live in Plainfield for the past 11 years. I have 4 kids: Justin (17), Ryan (13), Tyler (11) and Emily (9). I have a great wife that loves wrestling, my high school sweetheart. Graduate of Oak Lawn Community 1989. My friend had an older brother that wrestled and the summer entering high school, we went up to a practice, I was amazed and hooked ever since. I spend all 4 years wrestling in high school, year round, and was a conference champ and 3x sectional qualifier.
My mentor/coach was Steve Stearns. One of our coaches, Jon Robinson use to throw a bunch of us in the back of his pick up truck and bring us to Champaign every year for the state finals. My wrestling career ended once I graduated high school, my first son was born and I had to grow up real fast. Graduated trade school and have been a diesel mechanic for 18 years now. I have been a shop foreman on the 3rd shift for the past 10 years, which gives me the flexibility for my kid’s activities We have been involved in soccer, baseball, football, karate, wrestling, gymnastics, cheerleading and cub scouts. All 3 boys wrestle and Ryan does year round. I enjoy summer wrestling (FS/GR) the most. My main involvement is now in the IKWF and recently staring a new club in 2006, Force Wrestling. I am involved with 6 other guys that have the same passion for the sport. I run the Force Wrestling website which has become my new found hobby. I ran the PWC website for 3 years previously. 4 years ago, I started the off-season schedule for Illinois which is hosted on our website. I love that I can do something that is promoting the sport. I have participated in 3 adult tournaments in the past 3 years and am motivated by having my kids on the chair yelling at me while I’m out there competing. I would like to compete in a triathlon by the time I’m 40.
__________________
"The greatest match a man can win is won within." Last edited by white dog; 08-06-2007 at 12:46 AM. Reason: . 
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#42
08-06-2007
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Hi everyone my name is Aimee Simmons Rode I live in Crystal Lake and for the last 5 of 7 years my Sundays were spent traveling Illinois with my wrestling family, the Crystal Lake Wizards. My son Tyler graduated and now will be a sophmore and wrestles for Crystal Lake South High school. I have been pretty much adopted as the teams mom and have been told I make a mean chocolate chip cookie. Tyler also plays football and I am just as passionate about football
 . Wrestling has been a part of my family for a long time. My brother wrestled for the Matburns club out of St. Patricks in Chicago back in the 80's and early 90's. My cousins both wrestled for Glenbard East and then on to Eastern Illinois and now coach in Indiana.I love that wrestling builds carrictor(does not help me in spelling though) and has introduced us to some really great people and athletes. I love my wrestling family. I have a daughter who is 13 and plays softball and volleyball and rides our horse Hunter. I have been married for 13 years and my husband has never seen his son wrestle. Sad huh. He knows during wrestling season though that he becomes a widower and has gradually come to accept it. I do not know everything about wrestling but I am sure not afraid to ask. Thanks for all the answers. See you on the mat or in the bleachers.
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#43
08-06-2007
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Hey everyone...I just want to keep this "sticky" on topic so if you find your post removed that is why. Just send the other conversation to pmail. Thanks for understanding...and there is some great stuff inside of this sticky
Last edited by MR TWISTER; 08-06-2007 at 06:56 PM.
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#44
08-06-2007
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What's up everybody...If you don't know, my name is Ryan "Duke" Burk, and I wrestle at Northern Illinois University. I am going to be a red-shirt sophomore this coming season, meaning I still have 3 years left to compete. I started wrestling when I was 3 years old, and have been around it my whole life. My dad has coached wrestling for over 25 years and I grew up around his teams. I have a brother named Danny who just graduated from NIU, and will be coaching and teaching at our high school (Peoria Notre Dame). I wrestled in the Metamora Kids Wrestling Club, and loved the sport immediately. I would always smile and laugh while on the mat, just having a good time. Success came immediately in the local tournaments. My first big time placement in a tournament was in 5th grade when I placed 5th in the IKWF state. I placed again in 8th grade, when I finished 4th.
Growing up, I also ran nearly every day, played soccer, and basketball. We ran mostly to teach us discipline, to get out there on a daily basis and get that workout in. No matter if we were tired or sore or whatever, we had to get it done. That aspect has helped me throughout my entire life. If you only work out when you feel great, you may never work out. I also have a sister, Melissa, who is married to "Admin", and they have 2 kids, Dillon and Elly, with a 3rd on the way this week. Dillon is my god-son, and I miss them all a great deal as I spend nearly all my time in DeKalb. Danny, Melissa, and I are all really close. Danny and I lived together for the first two years I was in college, and our friendship is well beyond that of anything I know. We are competitive against each other, but when it comes to the other's success, we would rather have the other be successful than ourselves. We have been workout partners for our whole lives, side by side when we needed help. When the workouts would get hard, I knew he was doing the same, and it helped pull me through the toughest of times. It will be tough without him during wrestling again, but its part of life. Moving on and getting past things has to be done. Without the support that my parents give me, I would not be where I am today. They will be wherever for me, and will do whatever they need to in order to help me out. My mom loves to scream during my matches. She will travel all over to watch me wrestle. She flew out to Vegas this year to watch, and wanted to come to Buffalo just for a dual, but we wouldn't let her. Her and I are very close, and she keeps my grounded. She also can cook some food when I go home. That steak is always grillin when I head down to Peoria. My dad always reminds me of things I need to do, whether it is to move my feet, or stay calm, or create more action, he is always reminding me. During my matches I will look in the crowd, as I know where he is sitting, just to see what gesture he has to give to me. It is something I have always had. In high school, I was a 4-time state qualifier, at 125-140-152-160. I placed twice, finishing 4th as a junior and 3rd as a senior, losing to Travis Hammons. I went out to Senior Nationals and finished 3rd, and then went out to Fargo that summer and finished 5th in greco and 6th in freestyle. That week might have been the toughest and longest week of my wrestling career. I wrestled nearly 20 tough matches, and by the end of it, I could not sit still because my ribs hurt so bad. I signed with NIU before my senior season, and liked it up here immediately. I redshirted my first season, as I took time to adapt to the long season and to get bigger. This past season I wrestled 184 and had a pretty good year. I finished the year 24-9, and made it to the national tournament, as I finished 2nd in the MAC. I won my first match, by beating John Dergo from the U of I 4-3, but then lost 2 straight after that to Jake Varner of Iowa State, who finished second, and to Trevor Branvold of Wisconsin, who beat me 3 times last year. This year, things will be changing up a bit for me. I will be dropping in weight to 174. I will feel much better there, as I believe that is the weight class that is better for me. And our schedule is going to be real tough, with Iowa State, Minnesota, Northwestern, the Midlands, Central Michigan, and Kent State all on the menu. When I look back at my life and career, it is weird to think that it will all be over in just 3 years. I started 17 years ago, and have been around it all my life. Unless I choose to pursue a freestyle career, it will all be done. I guess I just have to make the best of the next 3...
__________________
The Only thing you deserve is what you earn, so why not just earn it all??? 
Last edited by Huskie184; 08-06-2007 at 09:36 PM.
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#45
08-09-2007
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Alright I am a little behind but oh well.. I am Michael Cathorall and I am 17 years old. I wrestled 1 year for the Roxana Shells my freshman year but don't anymore due to nerve damage in my left foot which I received due to a wrestling injury. I live in South Florida these days with my family still. I miss Illinois Wrestling tons. Florida is nothing like Illinois. The tournaments down here are sometimes even boring but I love just to see wrestling take place. I am a football addict. Love it! I am now a Sr. at West Boca Raton High in the homeschooling program. I love music inside and out. I plan on going into Music production after High School. I want to produce Indie Rock. Thats my dream in life. I also plan on getting into either youth Ministry or psychology. Thats me in a nutshell more or less! Thanks for reading
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#46
08-11-2007
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My name is Kathy Schultz. I have been married to Mark for 24+ years and we have two sons (Andy, a senior at Benedictine majoring in Sports Communications and Mark a transfer student to the University of Dubuque this year (and always a Glenbard North Panther in his heart). I have worked at the same job for 33+ years (and can't wait until my husband and I can retire and we can move to Florida...but we have a few years left for that).
I watched my brother wrestle in high school in Chicago (he actually qualified from Schurz High School for the State Tournament his senior year but lost his first match and was done). I have been following wrestling since Mark started when he was 9 years old. Okay...better be honest here before my son blasts me on the board...I didn't "follow" wrestling during his IKWF days...I could not handle sitting in the stands for 10-12 hours a day but, with the exception of one wrestling match when I was sick, I never missed a high school match. Mark was convinced to go out for wrestling by one of his youth football coaches and it was the best advice he ever received as far as sports go. He lives, breathes, sleeps, wrestling. Although he never won or placed at State, he had a great senior season and finished in the top eight in the State...defeating a good friend and an undefeated wrestler in the process. He had over 30 pins his senior season (yes, most of them were by the headlock). We could not have been more proud of his commitment to his training, practice and overall work ethic. As his high school coach loves to say, if there is a wrestling meet going on in someone's back yard, Mark will be the first one there to participate. We missed not seeing him wrestle his first year of college due to the fact that he had to sit out the year with a bulging disc in his lower back (never knew I would miss it that much; so during Mark's rehab, we went to support our favorite high school team...Glenbard North). He is feeling great now and we eagerly anticipate his being back on the mat this year at the University of Dubuque with his buddies Ron Uccardi and Roy Feltson and all of his other teammates. During his time off this season, he became a ref and also helped coach at one of the youth wrestling programs. One of the best things that has happened to my husband and I during Mark's years of wrestling, is meeting so many wonderful people...many of them now close, personal friends. And there is nothing like the wrestling community. During my recent cancer scare, the wrestling community came out in full force to support me and my family. They were all wonderful. And to celebrate my successful cancer surgery and to also celebrate my December birthday when I will turn...UGH....50...my husband is taking me to Disney World for nine days on September 1...as soon as the boys are back at school. Good luck to all Illinois wrestlers during the upcoming season.
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#47
08-11-2007
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Quote:
__________________
 If you see things differently, that's cool too.
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#48
08-12-2007
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The E True Story of Cheechoo
Don’t look now, but the Cheechoo train has pulled into the station. I have soft hands and a hard nose for the mat. I am a full-blooded member of the Cree Nation. I brought a whole new fan base to the wrestling community and I remind people everywhere why they love wrestling. This is my story….
GROWING UP I was born to Carol and Mervin on July 15, 1980 in a Moose Factory. I am the eldest of three kids. Jordan is my brother and Cleo (Cleopatra) is my sister. I wrestled as a youth in Moosonee, three miles across the water. The only way to make this trip in the summer is by swimming. This was part of my workout. In winter, the locals use a snowmobile or light truck but I still managed to swim polar bear style. In fall, when the ice is forming, and in spring, when it’s breaking up, you don’t get to the Moose factory unless you use your survival skills. Being tortured in this isolated environment, I first started wrestling at age three. My father would conduct a small, freakish, circus style wrestling clinic in the backyard, where I could practice my shooting and takedowns. I took 500 shots a day—until the Moose Factory was raided by the FBI. Another favorite activity of mine was hunting. My dad and I would go after geese in the spring and play The Most Dangerous Game in the fall. That’s where my quickness came to play on the mat. Dad took shots and I had to sprint, jump, crawl, etc… whatever to survive. My father encouraged me to pick up the pace as if I was in overtime, promising me if I worked harder than the older boys I would quickly surpass them. And sure enough, I did just that. Anyone who knows wrestling could see that my combination of soft hands and tenacity on the mat would take me far. That was relative, of course. I actually hadn’t been anywhere yet. I hadn't wrestled in a true organized league, with coaching and travel. Still, like many young wrestling stars in remote parts where I grew up, I had to move away to improve. At 14, I was finally being tested against good wrestlers. A year later, I joined a club in Texas, a mostly Spanish-speaking community. The language barrier made being away from home seem even lonelier. CHEECHOO THE WRESLER It's uncanny. I was always around the mat. This has been true since my youth wrestling days. I instinctively wrestle toward areas on the mat that produce the best scoring opportunities. I have always been able to find plenty of room to operate. I do have the knack of raising my game and sharpening my senses when my team needs points the most. I have a flare for being spry and that’s pretty remarkable for a wrestler. I’m pretty much fearless and seem impervious to pressure. YOU HAVE JUST HEARD THE TRUE STORY OF CHEECHOO! Do I look Dreamier Now?
__________________
Stare into my eyes. Do I look dreamie to you? 
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#49
08-13-2007
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Im extremly bored right now and the Cubs aren't on so i figured what the hell. Mostly everyone on here already knows who i am, my name is Mark Schultz i wrestled and graduated from Glenbard North in 2006. My parents are mark and kathy schultz. they are very supportive of my wrestling and are at all my matches (except my mom was "sick" a lot in the IKWF days)
 . I love Glenbard north wrestling the coaching staff, and our family there to death. Without Coach Hahn and the rest of the staff i dont know where i would be today. I am not wrestling for Jon McGovern )2x NCAA champ and 1998 US Freestyle National Champ) at the University of Dubuque. Im going to go 133 next year and im weighin about 150-152 on average. Im happy to finally be back on the mat after taking several months off for a back injury i suffered my senior year of high school. Im majoring in either physical or elementary education. I like working with kids, as i coach with Gomez Wrestling Academy most nights of the week. After i graduate i want to come back around here and teach and be able to coach at Glenbard North, i dont want to coach anywhere else. GBN is my home and i love it here,
__________________
"Strength does not coming from winning. When you go through hardships and decide not to surrender, that is strength" Mahatma Ghandi
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#50
08-13-2007
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