Senior Jakob Kennedy steps on the mat and across him stands his opponent. The wrestlers eagerly await the whistle from the referee signaling the beginning of the match. As the whistle sounds the two wrestlers approach one another both intensely watching each other’s stance. Kennedy sees an opening to take his opponent down and he does. He manages to pin his opponent and wins the match. His mind is racing and emotions are flowing.
“A lot of emotions poor out on the mat but it is crucial to control all of them. I usually just try and stay calm wrestle tough, smart and trust my body to do what it does.” said Kennedy.
At a very young age Kennedy’s father sparked an interest in him to begin wrestling. He has now been wrestling for over a decade. Inquiring key skills and the mentality to succeed.
“I’ve been wrestling for about 11 years now,” Kennedy said. “My dad used to wrestle in high school and asked me if I wanted to try it when I was in the second grade.”
Although the feeling of victory is a feeling that most cannot get enough of, Kennedy reflects back on his favorite meet which did not end in victory.
“My favorite meet was actually one I lost. It was against a kid ranked higher than me in the state and it was a finals match,” Kennedy said, “It was called Match of the Tournament and we were scrambling everywhere. I ended up losing but it was fun.”
Kennedy has high hopes for his senior season. He hopes to walk away with a state title to end out his season. However he is also thinking about the legacy he will leave long after the state tournament of 2018.
“Hopefully I have sort of changed the culture of Prince George wrestling and we can turn the page towards producing state champions,” Kennedy said. “I know eventually I want to come back and help coach.”
This year does not mark the end of Kennedy’s wrestling career. He will continue his career in college and possibly even further.
“I’ll be wrestling at VMI next year which is cool cause a lot of the guys there wrestled on my club team with me,” said Kennedy.
