Album Notes

Interview With A Wrestler started as a podcast of live interviews with many of the top high school wrestlers in the country. The interviews were conducted on an individual basis - one wrestler, alone, without distractions, free to express his thoughts and desires. Each wrestler that was chosen for an interview had three things in common:

1. He was a returning high school State Champion, State Place Winner and//or National All-American
2. He was a senior who had committed to wrestling for a college team in 2011
3. He was in the hunt for a State Championship during his final high school wrestling season (2010-2011).

These raw and gritty interviews were conducted between November, 2010 and March, 2011. The goal of each interview was to get inside the individual wrestler's head and find out what makes a high school State Champion tick. Unlike the short, unfocused and impersonal interviews that are given following a wrestling match or during an online radio promotion, these interviews spent over 30 minutes discussing each wrestler's personal ambitions, failures, fears and philosophies. In this collection, over 100 interviews are distilled down into over 2 hours of interview highlights. The cream of the crop.

As you listen to the interviews, you will hear inspirational and deeply personal answers to questions like, "Why do you wrestle?"; "When did you turn the corner to become a champion?"; "What are the biggest mistakes you think other wrestlers make that keep them from reaching their fullest potential?"; and "What is your secret to wrestling success?".

Nathaniel Brown, a 3x Pennsylvnaia State Placer and 2x Junior Greco Roman All-American who had committed to wrestling for Lehigh University at the time of the interview, talks about why he made the decision to wrestle in college, what made him decide to be a champion, and what he does to avoid distractions during the season. Kris Klapprodt, a Virginia Beach National Champion and 3x State Champion who had committed to wrestling for the University of Iowa at the time of the interview, describes how he broke down mentally as an 8th-grader and then used the experience to turn himself into a State Champion wrestler.

Each interview highlight starts with the wrestler introducing himself, his high school and his current high school wrestling accomplishments. The rest of the interview focuses on the psychology of the individual wrestler. Some of the interviews also include insights into the wrestlers' training and nutritional regimens, as well as their favorite wrestling strategies and techniques.


Interview With A Wrestler (Part 1):

Wrestler's Name - High School - College Committed To At Time of Interview - Wrestling Accomplishments At Time of Interview

Trevor Jauch - Crystal Lake Central - University of Missouri - 2x State Champion
Taylor Moeder - St. James - Old Dominion University - 2x State Champion; Greco National Champion
Nathaniel Brown - Lewisburg - Lehigh University - 119 Wins; 76 Pins; 3x State Placer; 2x Junior Greco All-American
Chris Dinnien - Germantown Academy - Lehigh University - 3x Prep State Champion; Prep National Place Winner; 4th at Beast of the East
Justin Heisnerman - Dundee - Cornell University - 100 Pins; 2x State Finalist; 1x State Champion
Cody Johnston - Warrensburg - University of Missouri - 32-0 with 30 pins; State Place Winner; Junior Greco All-American
Joe Orecchio - Don Bosco Prep - Bucknell University - 3x Region Champion
Jesse Thielke - Germantown - University of Wisconsin - 30-0; 3x State Champion; Fila World Team Member; 2nd at Sunkist International
Adam Fierro - Bakersfield - Cal State Bakersfield - Cadet Freestyle National Champion
Austin Marsden - Crystal Lake Central - Oklahoma State University - 1x State Champion; National All-American
Chris Mecate - Redlands East Valley - Old Dominion University - Super 32 and 5 Counties Tournament Champion
Austin Miller - Hempfield - Bucknell University - State Finalist - Super 32 Place Winner
Caleb Richardson - Blair Academy - Cornell University - 2x State Champion; 2x All-American
Bubba Scheffel - Southern Garrett - Virginia Tech - 123 wins; 86 match winning streak; Junior National Championship; 2x State Champion
Cam Tessari - Monroeville - Ohio State University - Iron Man Champion; 3x State Champion
Alex Utley - Caihoga Valley Christian Academy - University of North Carolina - 2x State Finalist
Kyle Ryan - Graham - Edinboro University - 2x State Finalist; 1x State Champion; 4th at Iron Man


Interview With A Wrestler (Part 2):

Wrestler's Name - High School - College Committed To At Time of Interview - Wrestling Accomplishments At Time of Interview

Mason Beckman - Reynolds - Lehigh University - 3x State Medalist; 1x State Champion; Iron Man Champion; 2nd Team Asics All-American
Joey Kielbasa - Crystal Lake Central - Central Michigan University - 2x State Champion; National Folksytle Champion
Kris Klapprodt - Stevens - University of Iowa - Virginia Beach National Champion; 3x State Champion; National All-American
Donny Longendyke - White Bear Lake - University of Nebraska - 1x State Champion; National All-American
Kolby Mashack - Tamaqua - Bucknell University - 23-0; Super 32 Place Winner
Dan Neff - Solanco - Lock Haven University - State Place Winner; Super 32 Finalist
Duke Pickett - Woodberry Forest - Cornell University - 1x State Champion; National Prep Finalist
Joe Rendina - Dundee - Cornell University - 25-0; 4x Goodrich Tournament of Champs Winner
Jesse Schiffbauer - University High School - University of West Virginia - 3x State Place Winner
Lucas Sheridan - De La Salle - University of Indiana - State Place Winner; Junior Greco National Champion; 4th Place at Youth Olympic Games
Matt Stephens - Graham - Virginia Tech - 2x Iron Man Place Winner; 3x State Place Winner
Hunter Stieber - Monroeville - Ohio State University - 2x Iron Man Champion; 3x State Champion
Doug Welch Castle - Purdue University - 2x State Medalist
Logan Storley - Webster - University of Minnesota - 5x State Champion, Folkstyle and Freestyle National Champion
Travis Shaffer - Derry Area - Pittsburgh University - State Champion; Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic Champion
Zach Skates Broken Arrow - Oklahoma State University - 2x State Champion; Junior Greco All-American
Vinny Waldhauser - Oak Ridge - University of Virginia - State Finalist; 2x State Place Winner


The interviews are conducted by Dr. Isaiah Hankel, a former high school and Division 1 college wrestler who is focused on using cutting edge science and motivational theory to help wrestlers and other athletes, as well as entrepreneurs and other business professionals, achieve extraordinary levels of success in their chosen pursuits. Dr. Hankel competed on the varsity squad of Franklin & Marshall’s Division I wrestling team throughout his tenure at the college and was team captain-elect for three consecutive years. In 2011, Dr. Hankel received his Ph.D. from the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine.