Austin Pompa '20 Recruiting Profile

    I am a hard worker and I always push myself to be better in everything I do whether it be Football, Wrestling, Track, or any Leadership and Character developing initiatives I am involved with! I hate to sit still, and I love spending my time outside of football in the gym or outdoors. My favorite sport is whatever I am doing at the moment, I am all in and get laser focus. No matter where my football coach puts me I know I have a job to do and my team's success is more important then any personal success.  An example is, this past season as a Junior, I was asked to play nose guard, although I had never done that and was not a huge fan of the role.  I put everything I had into learning the technique and getting better at that position and my coaches gave me a lot of great feedback and appreciated the sacrifices I made for the team. I learned to love it, my favorite feeling is chasing down an opposing QB knowing he is going down for a loss.

    That mindset of tenacity and confidence carries over form all of my other sports as well. When I look across the mat at my opponent right before the whistle blows I am thinking "this guy's going down".  When I am throwing discus, I focus on my form and technique. I am constantly spinning in circles in my kitchen, parking lots and wherever else I have room- anything to perfect my form. I can not get enough, I want to be the best. 

    Outside of sports, every summer since I was 9 years old I have spent two weeks at Deerfoot Lodge, a Christian-based, all boys camp in the Adirondacks. With no running water or electricity, we are forced to rough it! We hike, camp, bathe in the lake and learn how to become stronger both mentally and physically. Two years ago, while we were hiking a fellow camper broke his ankle. Me and one of my Camp Mentors carried him 5 miles down a mountain and we had to run back up to catch up with the rest of my group. I usually carry the most gear and lead the pack. I like to push myself and lead by example. This year I will be going on a two week hike/camp/canoeing trip to Mount Katahdin and the Allagash River in Maine. I know this will push me like never before.

I always want to be better physically, mentally, and spiritually. I take every opportunity I get to make myself better and use everything as a learning experience. I look forward to continuing my football career with a program that has similar values!