Karsen Smith '19 Recruiting Profile

Face pressed into the mat, the smell of disinfectant and stale sweat fills my nostrils, it seemed like an eternity until the referee finally slapped the mat and declared a pin!  As a 152lb freshman, wrestling on the varsity team, I got my first pin over a junior in the 160lb weight class.  I’d been wrestling since the 7^th grade but this moment solidified my desire to wrestle.  It taught me that my hard work could over come opponents that appeared bigger, stronger and more experienced! 

As the lines approach the ball, my opponent smirks and I can tell what he’s thinking:  this little squeak is gonna eat dirt.  I’m off the line low and balanced.  Our pads smack and that big guy has a surprised look on his face!  I’ve heId my line and our running back is squirting up the middle.  In the fall, I like to start preparing for the wrestling season by playing football.  At 5’6” I often surprise the other team with my strength and tenacity. I enjoy the challenge of playing against guys that are bigger and think I’m gonna be a push over. Football helps to improve my footwork, my agility, my hand work and my mental toughness.  When it’s cold and wet, I’m mentally and physically overcoming the challenges to face the adversity and persevere.

Joy of joys!  Football is over and real fun begins!  It’s wrestling season!  I love the high intensity workouts, the drills, learning new techniques and then my favorite:  go hard, go live!  On the whistle, 3 minute drills!  Let’s go!  I attend a small school, 3A, and our wrestling team isn’t very big. I often spar with the bigger guys, even the heavy weights because we don’t have enough on the team to really challenge each other in our own weight classes.  It’s great!  I figure if I can score against them, it’s easier to score in my weight class. 

After wrestling practice, I quickly shower and join my other team, forensics.  I enjoy the fall play, performing on stage and supporting my other cast members.  Wearing a singlet certainly gives you some confidence and flamboyance a football uniform does not.  I can stand on the wrestling mat in front of a large crowd of people wearing little, and then easily transition to standing in front of a crowd of people reciting prose and poetry.  Both activities give me the confidence and style to apply to multiple areas of my life in general.  I’ve learned discipline and poise thru both extra-curricular activities. 

A sad day indeed, high school wrestling is over.  Let the fun begin!  I am now wrestling against the biggest names in high school wrestling.  Many coming into the Club wrestling from larger schools!  5A/6A, my competition is tough!  But, I’m finding that I’m continuing to improve, win or lose, I’m getting stronger and faster.   Many of these guys are surprised when they meet me again and I’m tougher, it’s harder to beat me and many are finding they are on the losing end. Most Tuesday and Friday nights, I’m running track and pole vaulting.  Getting home late, up early on Saturday morning to head to the next freestyle meet 2 hours away, is becoming more routine.  Track helps to strengthen my core while vaulting and increases my endurance.

When I’m not hitting hard off the line, going hard on the mat or performing on stage, I’m often found training with our local Search and Rescue team (KSAR).  I’m often running trails for the trailing dogs to train on or hiding in the woods for the area dogs to find me.  Just like in football, I have to be able to help train in all temperatures and under all conditions.  Lost persons don’t go missing in perfect beautiful weather.  Or we may not get called until conditions are deteriorating and it’s most important to have the discipline to press on and find the missing.  Interesting to see how my wrestling discipline carries over into other aspects of my life.     

“Lies, damned lies, and statistics”, a phrase popularized by Mark Twain, describing the fallacies associated with statistics.  If you only look at my overall wrestling statistics on win/loss, it gives a false impression of my abilities.  76-65 doesn’t look very impressive, I agree.  But, look closer, past the statistical fallacy.  My freshman year I was 14-29, wrestling varsity.  Gaining momentum into my sophomore year, I improved to 24-22.  And my junior year really shows how much I’ve improved posting a school record of 38-wins with only 14 losses.  I am really looking forward to my senior year and feel that I’m am really coming into my wrestling strengths.  I’m wrestling opponents that defeated me easily in the past, and they are now finding themselves on the losing side of the score or really frustrated and impressed by how far I’ve come. I’ve had 3 head coaches and more assistant coaches since starting high school.

The handshake done, whistle blows and I’m off, attacking my opponent.  I catch him off guard.  He didn’t expect me to come fast and hard. His first move was a stand up with a step back. I enjoy an aggressive offensive style.  I believe I’m still improving and growing as a wrestler, and am looking forward to an aggressive college program where I can continue to be challenged and work at reaching my full potential as a wrestler.