Kemp gives back to wrestling with nutritional company Forza


By Kyle Klingman, Wrestling Insider Newsmagazine Lee Kemp’s motivation is to do something that has never been done. And, if you look at history, Kemp is a pioneer in wrestling.


Before Pat Smith and Cael Sanderson became four-time


NCAA champions, Kemp’s name was in the conversation as the closest to win four NCAA titles. As a freshman wrestling at the University of Wisconsin, Kemp lost a split referee’s decision to Chuck Yagla of Iowa (4-4, 1-1). Then he reeled off three titles in a row.


Before Bruce Baumgartner (five World and Olympic titles) and John Smith (six World and Olympic titles), Kemp broke new ground. Kemp was the first American to win multiple titles at the World Championships (1978, 1979, and 1982). Kemp didn’t want to lose - ever. What frustrates Kemp the most, however, was that he lost his opportunity to win. The Chardon, Ohio, native was stripped of his chance to compete at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. President Jimmy Carter withdrew the United States from competition due to the Soviet Union’s invasion into Afghanistan. The reigning two-time World champion at 163 pounds had to stay home. “I haven’t recovered from that since,” said Kemp. “It’s been a


part of me.”


Even without an Olympic gold medal, Kemp pushed the bar beyond what anyone had done in wrestling up to that point. Now, he wants to push it further.


But Kemp was noticeably absent in wrestling circles for over two decades. After a failed attempt to make the 1984 Olympic team, Kemp slipped out of wrestling’s consciousness. He eventually pur- chased a car dealership in Forest Lake, Minn. On occasion he would slip down to the University of Minnesota to join a wrestling workout, but Kemp can count on one hand the number of dual meets he attended.


Then, in 2006, Kemp found his long lost love: wrestling. He attributes much of his reconnection to John Bardis - a former teammate at Wisconsin. Bardis, CEO of MedAssets, was a team leader for the U.S. World Team in 2005. The following year Kemp started getting involved. Kemp went to the World championships in 2006; he was part of the World team coaching staff in 2007, and he was an Olympic coach in 2008.


“It was a healing process to come back into wrestling,” said Kemp. “It was awesome. It was like I finally came home.” Besides wrestling, Kemp has another passion: nutrition.


That’s why he is combining the two. Forza Technologies, an official partner of USA Wrestling and


its National Teams, is a nutritional supplement company that focuses on four areas: endurance, recovery, performance, and hydration. Forza’s website, ForzaByKemp.com, features a minute-long clip of Kemp discussing the product line. In the video, Kemp, 54, looks like he could make a run at the 2012 Olympic Games. “What Forza brings to wrestlers is education,” said Kemp. “They need to be taught how do eat, and when you do eat you need to get the best nutrients out of the food you’re eating.


14 USA Wrestler


Lee Kemp won three NCAA titles and three World titles.


Nutritional supplements are just another way to get high nutrient foods.


“An athlete can really learn about health and wellness when


he’s young. Just like athletes need to learn about wrestling when they’re young - you also need to learn how to take care of your body.”


So how will Forza help wrestlers? Basic nutritional needs will be met through these products.


Wrestlers are asked to increase their workload while sweating more than any other sport. Wrestlers can lose several pounds in a single practice (Kemp estimates he lost eight to nine pounds per practice).


Not only is a wrestler sweating, but they are losing elec- trolytes. Here’s the kicker: a wrestler has to perform on less food and less water because they have to make weight. So you’re decreasing nutrients and water but you’re increas- ing the workload.


“I see how wrestlers eat,” said Kemp. “When I was at the Olympic Training Center some of our top athletes were going to Popeye’s Chicken to eat. They have no concept of how bad it is for you.” Forza’s product called strength is a combination of several grasses and grains - proteins of the highest quality ingredients. One package allows a wrestler to get the most nutrients pos- sible, which is important given the diminishing amount of calo- ries consumed. Kemp’s goal is to give them the best possible nutrition through pure supplements that you cannot get in food. “There is a benefit to learning about nutrition when you’re young,” said Kemp. “I hope to remain healthy well into my older years. I want to die healthy. I don’t want to die sick. I don’t want to die in a nursing home diseased. “You can be healthy well into your later years. This product can help get you there.”


City in April. first.


Kemp unveiled his product line at the Olympic Trials in Iowa If history has its say, Kemp is on track for another historic


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