WHO’S NEXT? USAW STAR OF THE FUTURE Snyder making mark
By Craig Sesker He was just 17 and he had never faced
a foreign opponent in his life. But that didn’t stop Kyle Snyder from
setting a very lofty goal this past August. Snyder achieved that goal by turning in
a phenomenal performance to capture a gold medal at the FILA Junior World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. Even though he still had a year of high
school remaining, Snyder won the freestyle title at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. despite facing older, more experienced athletes in the 17-20 age group. Snyder overcame an early scare before earning an 11-4 gold-medal final over Viktor Kazishvili of Armenia. Snyder fought off his back early in the bout before gaining control. “I had a really positive attitude going
into the tournament,” Snyder said. “Every time I step on the mat, I’m going to do everything I can to give myself an oppor- tunity to win. Having Coach (Bill) Zadick and Coach (Sean) Bormet in my corner helped me a lot. They told me it doesn’t matter how old you are – if you have enough fight and determination you are going to do some good things.” Snyder’s post-match celebration was
fairly low-key. “I’m not the type of person who jumps
up and down after a big win,” he said. “I’ve been taught to act like you’ve done it before. After I won, I did give a little fist pump and I hugged my coaches. It was the happiest I’ve ever been after a match. I was really excited.” Snyder, who turned 18 in November, continues to add to his amazing resume. The 2013 ASICS High School Wrestler of the Year was a three-time National Prep School Champion for Our Lady of Good Counsel High School in Maryland. He also owns titles from USA
Wrestling’s Junior and Cadet Nationals. Snyder chose to leave family and
friends behind in his home state of Maryland to train at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs dur- ing the 2013-14 school year. He also will bypass his senior year of scholastic wrestling competition to train in freestyle. He has been living in the dorms and
training full-time at the OTC since late Continued on page 31
30 USA Wrestler
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