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An ode to Greg Kerkvliet

McScoreley

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Feb 24, 2019
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I decided to start a new thread because I don't think enough appreciation is given to what this dude did for us this season. It wasn't officially mathematically what happened but he more or less locked the team race up for us with his win over Mason Parris.

Reading tea leaves, Kerk is banged up and has been for a long time but has been pushing through for the team. Despite that, he gave Gable as good of a match as you can give Gable and absolutely manhandled Mason Parris to lock up the team race. I didn't want to speculate but there was multiple times when I felt he was slow to get up or walking a bit gingerly or favoring some part of his body but then he goes right back into being an absolute beast that we never guess just how much he is hurting.

During this season, Kerk has battled something that dropped his weight under 230 (down from his preferred 245-250) before the season even started (he was like 228 for the Sacred Heart Dual), he dealt with a stomach bug that was causing him to vomit nonstop during the Penn dual but he still told the coaches he was prepared to wrestle if the team needed him. He breaks his nose against the Arizona State backup and was losing way more blood than any human should. He tweaks his hamstring against Christian Lance in the dual, he hurts his knee against Cassioppi (which is what I think caused him to give up the reversal) and now apparently his shoulder is ailing him.

I don't even want to guess what % Kerk is but it's probably very low. I pray so hard for him to be at full health one day. Selfishly for Penn State obviously but 100x more because the kid deserves to show the world just how good he really is (because I don't believe anybody has seen it yet)

I don't want to hear anymore about how the kid is mentally weak because I've quite honestly seen it a bit because he got stuck on bottom against Cassioppi and had that gaff at the end of the Big Ten semis. It's wrestling it happens (and like I mentioned, I think he was hurt in the sequence)

Thank you Daniel Greg Kerkvliet ... you are Penn State and we are so blessed to have you.
 
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A small trifle and possible challenge: Shouldn't an Ode be in Ode form?

Ode: (i) a lyric poem in the form of an address to a particular subject, often elevated in style or manner and written in varied or irregular meter. (ii) a poem meant to be sung.

If someone sings it in the shower this evening or serenades Kerk after the team trophy is bestowed, we can be satisfied.
 
I meet Greg Sr. and the misses Thursday morning, had a nice conversation. Can we please keep in mind these are young adults and not speculate on there health or mindset. We should appreciate the enjoyment these young men give us in their pursuit of goals and achievements in their athletic endeavors. Enjoy the competition and please don’t speculate on their or the coaching staff decisions
 
I decided to start a new thread because I don't think enough appreciation is given to what this dude did for us this season. It wasn't officially mathematically what happened but he more or less locked the team race up for us with his win over Mason Parris.

Reading tea leaves, Kerk is banged up and has been for a long time but has been pushing through for the team. Despite that, he gave Gable as good of a match as you can give Gable and absolutely manhandled Mason Parris to lock up the team race. I didn't want to speculate but there was multiple times when I felt he was slow to get up or walking a bit gingerly or favoring some part of his body but then he goes right back into being an absolute beast that we never guess just how much he is hurting.

During this season, Kerk has battled something that dropped his weight under 230 (down from his preferred 245-250) before the season even started (he was like 228 for the Sacred Heart Dual), he dealt with a stomach bug that was causing him to vomit nonstop during the Penn dual but he still told the coaches he was prepared to wrestle if the team needed him. He breaks his nose against the Arizona State backup and was losing way more blood than any human should. He tweaks his hamstring against Christian Lance in the dual, he hurts his knee against Cassioppi (which is what I think caused him to give up the reversal) and now apparently his shoulder is ailing him.

I don't even want to guess what % Kerk is but it's probably very low. I pray so hard for him to be at full health one day. Selfishly for Penn State obviously but 100x more because the kid deserves to show the world just how good he really is (because I don't believe anybody has seen it yet)

I don't want to hear anymore about how the kid is mentally weak because I've quite honestly seen it a bit because he got stuck on bottom against Cassioppi and had that gaff at the end of the Big Ten semis. It's wrestling it happens (and like I mentioned, I think he was hurt in the sequence)

Thank you Daniel Greg Kerkvliet ... you are Penn State and we are so blessed to have you.
In addition to all of that, I notice that Kerk is very respectful to his opponents, win or lose. Firm handshake, look somebody in the eye, old school stuff. Glad he's on our side.
 
I was watching Kerk on Thursday, I guess, when I realized ---- he looks like a Penn State wrestler. Everything he did was so controlled, so smart. Of course, if you had to wrestle kids 40-50 pounds heavier than you, maybe you'd be hurting, too.
 
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I was watching Kerk on Thursday, I guess, when I realized ---- he looks like a Penn State wrestler. Everything he did was so controlled, so smart. Of course, if you had to wrestle kids 40-50 pounds heavier than you, maybe you'd be hurting, too
Wrestling is just so physical it takes a toll on the body after 3 or 4 months. In addition, to get better Greg is rolling around with Nick Nevills, Jake Varner, Cael and Kyle Snyder. While they can improve technique by a sort of "walk through," to get better you have to go full force. I can't imagine day after day going at it with them and the toll it takes. That is why Cael is Cael. When to get after it and when to refresh the body only aiming for one goal; to get each wrestler ready and better for........MARCH
 
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Four of the six other PSU wrestlers who lost in the semis at nationals during the Sanderson years went on to win national titles in subsequent years (Frank, Nico, Zain, Nick Lee). Future is bright for Kerk!

EDIT: my original post had four previous semis losses since 2010, which is a number I found in another post. I went back through the brackets and count six others before Kerk — the four listed above + Andrew Long and Jimmy Gulibon. I changed the numbers in my post and added Nick Lee’s name.
 
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I'm not sure Kerk has been healthy in college yet...
Hope he can get healthy for a season just so see what happens..
Can you imagine if he filled out his huge frame with 260-270 of muscle which he could easily handle? He would be unstoppable. One of my favs! A true hammer and bonus point machine for us. I love the way he so cool. Always shakes your hand properly and looks you in the eyes WIN or LOSE! You never see he him screaming or yelling or flexing like a jerk. A true Penn State athlete!! Take sometime off and heal up properly! I think the HWT crown is yours these next few years!
 
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Can you imagine if he filled out his huge frame with 260-270 of muscle which he could easily handle? He would be unstoppable. One of my favs! A true hammer and bonus point machine for us. I love the way he so cool. Always shakes your hand properly and looks you in the eyes WIN or LOSE! You never see he him screaming or yelling or flexing like a jerk. A true Penn State athlete!! Take sometime off and heal up properly! I think the HWT crown is yours these next few years!
true - but he is built quite well already... not a weakling
 
true - but he is built quite well already... not a weakling
Kerk could be a 3x champ weighing 240, and there will always be someone saying "what if he weighed 270?".

270 lb didn't do Stoll much good against 220-lb Jacob Kasper.

Kerk will wrestle at his best weight, not our best weight.
 
IMO Kerk is great where he is, at 270 he absolutely loses his quickness. I say even a bisquit over 250 is a bad idea.
 
I decided to start a new thread because I don't think enough appreciation is given to what this dude did for us this season. It wasn't officially mathematically what happened but he more or less locked the team race up for us with his win over Mason Parris.

Reading tea leaves, Kerk is banged up and has been for a long time but has been pushing through for the team. Despite that, he gave Gable as good of a match as you can give Gable and absolutely manhandled Mason Parris to lock up the team race. I didn't want to speculate but there was multiple times when I felt he was slow to get up or walking a bit gingerly or favoring some part of his body but then he goes right back into being an absolute beast that we never guess just how much he is hurting.

During this season, Kerk has battled something that dropped his weight under 230 (down from his preferred 245-250) before the season even started (he was like 228 for the Sacred Heart Dual), he dealt with a stomach bug that was causing him to vomit nonstop during the Penn dual but he still told the coaches he was prepared to wrestle if the team needed him. He breaks his nose against the Arizona State backup and was losing way more blood than any human should. He tweaks his hamstring against Christian Lance in the dual, he hurts his knee against Cassioppi (which is what I think caused him to give up the reversal) and now apparently his shoulder is ailing him.

I don't even want to guess what % Kerk is but it's probably very low. I pray so hard for him to be at full health one day. Selfishly for Penn State obviously but 100x more because the kid deserves to show the world just how good he really is (because I don't believe anybody has seen it yet)

I don't want to hear anymore about how the kid is mentally weak because I've quite honestly seen it a bit because he got stuck on bottom against Cassioppi and had that gaff at the end of the Big Ten semis. It's wrestling it happens (and like I mentioned, I think he was hurt in the sequence)

Thank you Daniel Greg Kerkvliet ... you are Penn State and we are so blessed to have you.
The Cassioppi match. Our own embarrassing "We are"


"HR".

Moment.
 
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I decided to start a new thread because I don't think enough appreciation is given to what this dude did for us this season. It wasn't officially mathematically what happened but he more or less locked the team race up for us with his win over Mason Parris.

Reading tea leaves, Kerk is banged up and has been for a long time but has been pushing through for the team. Despite that, he gave Gable as good of a match as you can give Gable and absolutely manhandled Mason Parris to lock up the team race. I didn't want to speculate but there was multiple times when I felt he was slow to get up or walking a bit gingerly or favoring some part of his body but then he goes right back into being an absolute beast that we never guess just how much he is hurting.

During this season, Kerk has battled something that dropped his weight under 230 (down from his preferred 245-250) before the season even started (he was like 228 for the Sacred Heart Dual), he dealt with a stomach bug that was causing him to vomit nonstop during the Penn dual but he still told the coaches he was prepared to wrestle if the team needed him. He breaks his nose against the Arizona State backup and was losing way more blood than any human should. He tweaks his hamstring against Christian Lance in the dual, he hurts his knee against Cassioppi (which is what I think caused him to give up the reversal) and now apparently his shoulder is ailing him.

I don't even want to guess what % Kerk is but it's probably very low. I pray so hard for him to be at full health one day. Selfishly for Penn State obviously but 100x more because the kid deserves to show the world just how good he really is (because I don't believe anybody has seen it yet)

I don't want to hear anymore about how the kid is mentally weak because I've quite honestly seen it a bit because he got stuck on bottom against Cassioppi and had that gaff at the end of the Big Ten semis. It's wrestling it happens (and like I mentioned, I think he was hurt in the sequence)

Thank you Daniel Greg Kerkvliet ... you are Penn State and we are so blessed to have you.
Side note: He has not had an ACL since High School.
 
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