Ex-Olympian inspires young wrestlers

? Justin Wiscombe never had met an Olympic gold medalist before, let alone wrestled one.

And he wasn’t about to let this chance go by.

Wiscombe, a two-time Class 4A state qualifier from Santa Fe Trail High, had just finished Wednesday’s morning session in the Charles Wrestling Camp at Baker University. The four-day camp is highlighted by guest instructors, usually NCAA champions, college coaches, or, in this case, Olympic gold medalist Kenny Monday.

Monday, a 1988 gold medalist, ’92 silver medalist and ’84 NCAA champ while at Oklahoma State University, offered to stick around that afternoon for extra work with campers like Wiscombe — a tantalizing offer, no doubt.

“I think of it as a privilege,” Wiscombe said. “Not many people get a chance to learn from an Olympic champ.”

Then again, that’s the point of the camp.

Organized by Shawn Charles, an assistant wrestling coach at Nebraska, it’s the second straight year the camp has been on the Baker campus. Baldwin High coach Kit Harris, whose father, Dan, is the Baker athletic director, has gotten involved in the camp, which featured 111 youths, ages six to 17.

“They bring in national champs, All-Americans and people like that,” Free State’s Matt Somers said. “You just learn moves you don’t learn anywhere else.”

Olympic gold medalist Kenny Monday demonstrates a move. Monday was a guest instructor at the Charles Wrestling Camp Wednesday in Baldwin.

Monday, who now lives in Dallas and coaches a club wrestling team, relishes the chance to attend these camps and influence young wrestlers — mostly because of the impression wrestling camp had on him.

“I’ve been to a lot of camps all over the U.S. and talked to a lot of campers and you never know who’s gonna come away with that desire,” Monday said. “I had that at 10 by meeting an Olympic champ.”

Monday met Wayne Wells and Dan Gable at a similar camp. When both captured gold medals at the ’72 Munich Olympics, Monday was smitten with the sport.

Now, he just wants to return the favor.

“If you talk to 100 kids, and one comes away motivated and inspired to be great, then that’s enough,” Monday said. “That’s one of the things about my position. It gives me an opportunity to do that.”