Brown Stresses Basics As Key To Mat Success
Steve Brown began wrestling at age five and in his first year he never won a match.
He went 0-14 and remembers crying his eyes out after every loss.
"I think I used up all of my tears, even then I just hated to lose" said Brown who has had little need for crying in Wrestling after that first year.
"I kind of got the hang of it at age six."
That would qualify as a major understatement.
Brown went to become a four time Section 10 Champion at Hermon-DeKalb Central and Canton Central, after H-D dropped its program, and then wrestled his way to NCAA Division I All-American status at Central Michigan University.
Brown, who earned three straight Mid-American Conference Championships after earning High School All-American honors as senior at Canton Central, will become an assistant coach at Central Michigan in the fall while entering graduate school to pursue a Masters Degree in Sports Administration.
"I would really like to become an athletic director someday. I am going to be an assistant coach with the team (Central Michigan) and if I really like it I might pursue a coaching career," said Brown on Monday at the first night of the Ogdensburg City Recreation Summer Wrestling Camp at the Richard Lockwood Arena.
Brown will be instructing tonight and Wednesday and youngsters can register either night by coming to the arena at 5:30 p.m. and signing up.
The youngsters attending Monday's session instinctively knew that they were learning from an exceptional technician and teacher of wrestling.
And learning the absolute basics of the sport.
"Your head is like the sight on a rifle. You have to step into every move and you can never turn your head," said Brown to the campers.
"It is so important that you learn the basics now at your age and work hard so you remember them. If you do that, it will make it so much easier when you get to high school."
Brown will hold a two-day clinic "Becoming a Champion" on Aug. 14-15 at St. James Elementary School in Gouverneur.
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