This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
Adeline Gray works to pin China’s Yuanyuan Jiao at the 2010 Dave Schultz Memorial International. Larry Slater photo. Continued from page 8


“I took to the basic moves, and it shows the basics are the best things ever. You can’t fight with those, they work.” Then there’s George – the father of four, the imposing pres-


ence.


“My dad embarrassed me one time,” she said. “I remember I was a freshman and a boy came to pick me up. My dad was leaving on a call and he went to the car and asked the boy for his driver’s license, his registration and gave him a hard time. I was so embarrassed. The boy wouldn’t speak to me the whole date!” “We laugh about it because I’m not a small guy or anything,” said George. “I have this reputation that I’m a big, tough SWAT cop. I’m probably the easiest guy to get along with. The one they should fear is my wife, Donna. She’s the enforcer!” Even as a “daddy’s girl,” Gray has put her father’s career in its place with the help of her mother.


Gray was eight years old when the Columbine tragedy hap- pened.


George was on that call as a SWAT officer. “My mom helped me with that,” said Gray. “I never thought about it and she never let it show. Someone brought up the question when I was in elementary or middle school. ‘Doesn’t it scare you he’s doing all these dangerous things?’” “For three days, I was flipping out,” she recalled. “You don’t over think it. You can’t think about it. If you do, you’ll drive your- self crazy. You have to accept it. He’s good at his job and he’s going to be OK. My mom said you don’t panic until you get a call that tells you to panic.”


Gray said her relationship with her father is a microcosm of why so many girls are getting involved in wrestling. “You get to wake up at 5 a.m. and drive to weigh-ins with your


father,” she said. “The smile he gets when you win is just a wonderful feeling. I think that’s why there are so many girls in wrestling, it’s because they can have a relationship with their fathers.”


“She surprises me every time,” said George. “It’s been neat to see her succeed.”


USA Wrestler 9


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44