Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Roddy White poses with wrestlers from his high school in South Carolina, during a trip to the U.S. Olympic Training Center in July. White was a two-time state champion in wrestling. Tom Kimmell photo.
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alma mater out to the Olympic Training Center,” said Black. The opportunity to give back to his alma mater was extremely special to James Island Charter High School coach Albert Spalviero.
In all, 10 wrestlers came, including four who play football. “It’s been a great experience,” he said. “It’s been neat to see everything going on, but to see my kids’ eyes light up when they’re watching all these other guys and how hard they work. “When they’re excited, they want to learn and it makes life a whole lot easier for me,” Spalviero said.
The current James Island wrestlers weren’t the only one
Spalviero noticed having a grand time. He noticed a past James Island wrestler taking it all in. “Watching Roddy beam when he’s watching and talking to (Justin) Lester,” said Spalviero. “They’re cutting up, talking about wrestling. He had one guy earlier saying he wanted to wrestle Roddy.” Lester, a two-time Greco-Roman World bronze medalist was- n’t the only notable name White got to talk with. “I’m a big fan of wrestling and I see these guys out here and Rulon (Gardner) is sitting right there in front of me. ‘Wow, this guy is a gold-medal winner in wrestling and I’m standing next to him.’”
White had lunch at the Olympic Training Center with several staff members of USA Wrestling, including Black, who put tons
“Wrestlers breed toughness. In this sport, you have to be tough.” - Roddy White
of man hours into securing White to be the figurehead for this campaign.
Also coming to sit down for a chat was 2008 Olympic Champion Henry Cejudo.
“Those guys are good people,” said White. “Rulon is a funny guy and Henry’s even funnier. They’re just sitting down, eating lunch with me at the table, cracking jokes and having fun.” But the overall mission isn’t just to promote wrestling to the lineman, but to players in skill positions like White. “Anytime you get a chance to help people out, especially with kids and promoting a great sport that sells itself in discipline and being in the right spot and doing everything the right way so you can get what you want; I feel good about this whole vibe and environment that we’re doing and hopefully it takes off,” said White. “Wrestlers breed toughness. In this sport, you have to be tough,” he said. Said Spalviero: “(Wrestling) does run in your blood, you never get it out of your blood.”
15 USA Wrestler
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