Kevan takes home the gold!

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by Stephanie Sparrow, reporter

 Every Athlete dreams about making it to states, and having his or her moment of fame. Jim Thorpe’s very own Kevan Gentile made it to Hershey this past weekend for a second year in a row!

Last year, Gentile went to states and finished in fourth place. Going back again this year Gentile stated, “It was a whole new experience going back to states. It was really different because I was more confident.”

With speaking to his head coach, Mr. Shawn Albert, he stated, “Any time we can get a kid to the state tournament, it is an accomplishment. Last year, we were excited about Kevan earning a spot to compete for gold. While we fell short with a fourth place finish, it only drove him to become a champion this year. When I first started coaching right out of college, I remember recalling how difficult it would be to coach a kid in the finals of the state tournament. To be honest, I was never sure that opportunity would exist. Therefore, I thank Kevan for allowing me and his coaches to join him in an unbelievable ride to our first state champion.”

Since Gentile was already there, in some ways he knew what to expect. He already knew how it felt to be in the middle of an arena with hundreds of people watching him. He also knew how it felt to step onto the mat. Going back this year, he was more prepared than last.

Gentile told The Olympiad, “In order for me to score higher than last year, I wrestled all summer and wrestled in a lot of off season tournaments. When I lost a match I looked back and saw what went wrong and practiced it to better myself.”

With speaking to Coach Albert, he had this to say about his experience coaching Gentile: “Coaching Kevan was one of the easiest things to do. When you have an athlete who is self-motivated and driven to work hard, it becomes more about presenting opportunities for him to grow. I have enjoyed watching Kevan develop himself into the greatest wrestler in Jim Thorpe history. We will miss him in our program. He is a true example of what hard work earns people when they stay focused on their goals.”

With Gentile holding a record of 142-25 and with Coach Albert coaching for as long as he has, they both left The Olympiad with some advice. Gentile said, “You will achieve any goal as long as you put the time into it and have the dedication required for it to happen. You have to stay positive and can’t let the negativity get to you. When I lost a match I just focused on what I did wrong and just practiced that till I was better at it so next time it happened I would be the one on top.”

Coach Albert said, “ Athletics and extracurricular activities are about building character among students. Coaches and advisors want what is best for their students.  In the case of Kevan and many students/athletes I’ve worked with, I’ve seen a lot of character building. In life, we set goals for ourselves and our families. Extracurricular activities model that drive to succeed in life.

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