VETERANS WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS Kasser keeps on seeking gold by Gary Abbott
It was an unfinished wrestling career that first attracted Jamey Kasser back to competitive wrestling in Veterans compe- titions. It is a desire to help the sport grow that keeps him coming back year after year.
Kasser, 53, is considered one of the
best Veterans wrestlers in U.S. history. He won his fourth career Veterans World title in Athens, Greece in October, captur- ing the 63 kg gold medal in Div. D in men’s freestyle. Kasser was one of nine individual champions from the USA at this year’s event.
Kasser didn’t start wrestling until eighth grade growing up in Ohio, after figuring out he was too small for basketball or football. Although he didn’t do well imme- diately, it didn’t take long before he mas- tered his new sport.
“I went from not making my eighth grade team to, two years later, being state runner-up, with my only loss being in the state finals. That was the last loss of my high school career,” said Kasser. At Licking Heights High School, he was second in state as a sophomore, then won state titles as a junior and senior, going 119-0 his last two seasons. His 62- 0 record as a junior was the best in the nation at that time.
Kasser got a scholarship to compete for Clarion and was a two-time NCAA qualifier before he left school after his sophomore year for personal reasons, going into the work force. He was out of wrestling for many years, working first for a manufacturing company, then getting a job as a professional firefighter. He also finished up his undergraduate degree and got a master’s degree. With additional training and experience, Kasser has risen to become a lieutenant in the Columbus Fire Department and a paramedic. When he agreed to be an assistant wrestling coach for Olentangy High School in Lewis Center, Ohio, Kasser’s competitive spirit quickly returned. “I started getting on the mat more and more and wrestling with the kids, sharp- ening my skills and getting into better condition. I got introduced to Veterans wrestling in 2001. I had to quit college early. Starting in eighth grade, I only had six years in wrestling before I had to get out of it. I was really hungry for it. When I
32 USA Wrestler
Jamey Kasser scores a takedown against Sergey Nogovitsyn at the Veterans Worlds in Greece. Robbert Wijtman photo.
was younger, I felt that I could become an Olympic champion. I still had a lot to give the sport when I got out of it. I jumped in with both feet and really got involved in it,” said Kasser.
He became a regular on the Veterans circuit, winning titles at the Veterans Nationals, then joining a growing group of American athletes competing at the Veterans Worlds. Kasser won gold medals in the Worlds in 2010, 2011 and 2013 and went into this year with high expectations.
“It is the thrill of victory, the discipline of the sport, the training. There is so much training involved to win a World or nation- al title. You feel great afterwards. It is a high you get from the training and seeing the results of your training. Being a fire- fighter, you need to be in shape anyway. This gives me two goals, to be a condi- tioned fire fighter and to be a conditioned athlete,” said Kasser.
He has since become an assistant coach across town at Olentangy Orange High School. His flexible schedule with the fire department, which includes 24- hour shifts then two days off, fits well with his coaching and training regimen. In addition to working out with the high school kids, Kasser has also trained at
the Ohio Regional Training Center at Ohio State, improving his skills with many top Olympic hopefuls.
“I still go up there to work out with them, Reece Humphrey, Logan Stieber and a lot of the other RTC guys who come in there. I have had workouts with Angel Escobedo, Henry Cejudo and oth- ers. They beat on me a little bit, but it is good for me,” said Kasser. This year at the Worlds, Kasser had two tough matches on the way to victory, getting banged up and cut, needing a Gable wrap to patch up his eye. He opened with a semifinal win over Mykhaylo Nylypyuk of Ukraine, 10-2. In the finals, he jumped to an 8-2 lead over Sergei Nogovitsyn of Russia and held off a late attack for an 8-7 win and his fourth World title.
“When you get to this level, everybody
wants that World title. They will fight and be combative to get to it. Especially when you wrestle the Russians and Iranians, they are so physical that if you don’t fight back, you won’t win. Sometimes when you are aggressive and fighting for posi- tion, you will get the bumps, scrapes and lacerations. In the finals, I never lost con- trol of the match. I knew I had some
Continued on page 33
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