The making of a (state) champion
Gavin Teasdale said he hates to lose and has his sights set on a perfect record this year. Teasdale said he wants to get one percent better every day.
Gavin Teasdale practices with a training partner during drills in team practice Tuesday.
Here is something most people don’t know about Gavin Teasdale.
When the sophomore from Jefferson-Morgan stands matside waiting for his bout to come up in the Eastern Tournament at Gateway High School tonight, he will be deep in concentration … on anything other than wrestling.
Teasdale prefers to clear his mind before heading out for his match, thinking about whatever he can to take his thoughts elsewhere. It’s not because he’s intimidated, but because it’s the best way to calm his nerves.
“I put my mind in a different place, don’t focus on the match,” he said this week at practice preparing for the season opener. “I try to think of something like, ‘What will I do after the match?'”
In all 46 bouts last year, Teasdale got his hand raised after the match ended.
On the whistle to start his bout, the undefeated state champion will unleash a torrent of moves to completely overwhelm his opponents. Against the softer part of the schedule, the bouts don’t make it past the second period. Opponents walk off in shock, their coaches so impressed with Teasdale’s talent.
“Last year, my goal was to come in and be undefeated and win a state title,” he said. “This year, I want to come in and destroy everyone I have. I want to get the Outstanding Wrestler (at the state tournament). My goal is to not allow any points on me.”
For many wrestlers, tonight is the first competition they’ve had in the sport since last winter. For Teasdale, wrestling is a yearround project, complete with daily workouts at the Young Guns club he belongs to and offseason competitions.
Teasdale won a gold medal in the Junior Pan American Games in Cuba, where Cary Kolat was one of his coaches, before earning the No. 1 ranking in the country at 113 pounds when he defeated Roman Bravo-Young in FloWrestling’s Who’s No. 1 Tournament in October.
“He’s helped me and shown me what I need to improve, and what I have to do in the high school season,” said Teasdale of Kolat. “He told me about things he had to do in high school, how to train.”
Young Guns is a nationally known wrestling club created by former Iowa wrestlers Eric Juergens and Jody Strittmatter. The organization has branches throughout the Midwest and Pennsylvania is home to numerous groups.
“It’s structured differently. The competition is much more prestigious,” Teasdale said. “That’s the best from the western part of Pennsylvania.”
Teasdale makes it a point to avoid working out with wrestlers he might have to compete against in the season. He put on 14 pounds since the winter and will wrestle at 120 to start the season.
“I usually go a few weight classes higher, against someone like Jarod Verkleeren or Cameron Coy or Max Murin.”
Verkleeren is a senior middleweight from Belle Vernon, who finished fourth at 145 in the PIAA tournament. Coy was a state runner-up at 138 for Penn-Trafford as a sophomore last season and Murin won a state title for Central Cambria at 113 as a junior.
In the hot, stuffy workout room at Jefferson-Morgan’s practice facility, Teasdale prepares with a detailed plan. His workout partner is usually sophomore Josh Agnew, but he will drill with a number of different people, including the assistant coaches. The point is not to tear apart his practice partner, but to perfect his technique.
“I want to get one percent better every day. That’s the biggest key,” Teasdale said. “The first part of practice I’m not wrestling. I’m concentrating on stretching. I’m not focused on (losing) weight. I come in with a visualization of what I wanted to do.
“Usually, I practice an hour and a half. I warm up to get my sweat going. After that stretch out for three or four minutes. Then drill easy to get my body into it. Then I work on my technique. After that, I work on my wrestling. Right after that, I do my conditioning for 20 minutes after. Then I work on stretching.”
Teasdale will unveil a new move in practice then work it over and over until he perfects it enough and gains enough confidence to use it in a dual meet.
“I just want to see if it works,” he said. “If it does, then I’ll work it in against tougher competition.”
That’s the real value of practice for him, but there are other benefits.
“He already knows just about everything, so I try to work hard with him,” said Agnew. “He helps me to get better, do different stuff. He showed me different ways on takedowns, cradles and tilts and how to improve on countering. I know he’s better than me. To see him do some of the stuff out there, I just wish I could do that.”
Teasdale emerged on the local wrestling scene one year after Spencer Lee of Franklin Regional. The two share many things: an undefeated varsity record, gold medals in the PIAA championships and an absolute hatred of losing. Once, when Lee was in middle school, he finished second in a tournament, and received a silver medal. Lee was going to throw the medal away but changed his mind. He hung it on his bedroom door so that every time it opened, the medal clanged against it. It reminded Lee of the feeling he had after losing and motivated him on days when he was not particularly excited to work out.
Teasdale understands how his friend was feeling.
“I hate losing,” said Teasdale. “I hate it.”