Miss-Delectable
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The Frederick News-Post Online - Frederick County Maryland Daily Newspaper
MARK CROSS HAS high expectations.
The MSD wrestler wants to take part in the Olympics, not just the World Games for the Deaf, but also the hearing Olympics. He hopes to begin that journey from July 21 to July 25, when he competes against the top young wrestlers in the country at the Cadet and Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D.
"My goal is to get to the Olympics," Cross said through an interpreter. "This will help me get experience and develop my skills."
"He wants to do it and I encouraged him," said Jim Schartner, the Middletown High School wrestling coach and coach of the Frederick International Wrestling Club, on which Cross is wrestling. Schartner also is the head coach of the Maryland team that will compete at Fargo. "It's not going to be an easy process. He's going to have to work hard. He's going to get beaten, frustrated and worn out. It will be hard."
But he also feels Cross, who lives in Monrovia and will be entering his junior year at MSD, has the ability to reach his goals.
"Right now he's a diamond in the rough," Schartner said. "He has a lot of potential. He's good enough, he's got the talent. Can he succeed, yes. It depends on the training. He needs to train and that's why it's important that he takes this first step and goes to Fargo."
Schartner, who has been involved with the national tournament for about 20 years, said as far as he knows only three deaf wrestlers have gone to the nationals, two from Maryland one from Georgia. The two from Maryland didn't place, but the one from Georgia did.
There will be more than 3,000 wrestlers at the tournament, including about 100 in each class. Cross will probably wrestle in the cadet 215-pound division.
n n n
ALTHOUGH HE'S ONLY 16, Cross is an experienced wrestler. He became involved in the sport when he was 3-and-a-half years old. Growing up, he wrestled for various clubs and at MSD. He's experienced success against both deaf and hearing wrestlers.
"I've been wrestling against hearing wrestlers when I started," he said. "I prefer hearing wrestlers because the matches are more difficult."
He said the difference between hearing and deaf wrestlers is the experience factor.
"The (hearing) wrestlers have more training," he said. "It's easier for me to win against deaf wrestlers because they are not as experienced. I feel they are both equal and would do equally well if they had the same training."
Schartner agreed and he should know. He coached wrestling for 18 years at MSD before going to Middletown 15 years ago.
"From my view, the one difference is that if the hearing wrestler is on the mat he can hear his coach yell instructions," Schartner said. "That can help at some levels. But it's at the higher levels that wrestlers can't really listen to the coach, things are too fast."
Although he has only been wrestling at MSD for two years, Cross has done better than many of the team's older grapplers. He has won two Eastern Secondary Schools for the Deaf championships in the 189-pound category. This year, he was 27-6 in dual matches and was sixth in the prestigious State Independent Tournament at McDonough School in February and won his division in the Maryland State Freestyle Championships in May, also at McDonough. He won all of his matches in the 189 weight class at the National Dual Deaf Prep Wrestling Tournament in California, and won one match at the National Prep Tournament at Lehigh University.
In a newsletter, MSD coach Chris vonGarrell said being able to compete in the prep tournament was "a huge experience for Mark who has unlimited potential."
After doing well in the Maryland freestyle tournament in May, Cross decided he wanted to wrestle in the national tournament in Fargo. The only problem was he had to raise $1,500 for the trip. His family is still involved in raising the funds.
"I am going to get the money some way," said his mother, Mary Cross. "He's going."
He will wrestle in both freestyle and Greco-Roman.
Cross, who one day hopes to be a doctor, eventually hopes to attend the World Games for the Deaf Trials next year and qualify for the United States team for the 2009 World Games.
But the Fargo tournament comes first.
"He will be competing against the best wrestlers in the country," Schartner said. "It's a great opportunity for him, a good opportunity for him to see where he needs to get better."
MARK CROSS HAS high expectations.
The MSD wrestler wants to take part in the Olympics, not just the World Games for the Deaf, but also the hearing Olympics. He hopes to begin that journey from July 21 to July 25, when he competes against the top young wrestlers in the country at the Cadet and Junior National Championships in Fargo, N.D.
"My goal is to get to the Olympics," Cross said through an interpreter. "This will help me get experience and develop my skills."
"He wants to do it and I encouraged him," said Jim Schartner, the Middletown High School wrestling coach and coach of the Frederick International Wrestling Club, on which Cross is wrestling. Schartner also is the head coach of the Maryland team that will compete at Fargo. "It's not going to be an easy process. He's going to have to work hard. He's going to get beaten, frustrated and worn out. It will be hard."
But he also feels Cross, who lives in Monrovia and will be entering his junior year at MSD, has the ability to reach his goals.
"Right now he's a diamond in the rough," Schartner said. "He has a lot of potential. He's good enough, he's got the talent. Can he succeed, yes. It depends on the training. He needs to train and that's why it's important that he takes this first step and goes to Fargo."
Schartner, who has been involved with the national tournament for about 20 years, said as far as he knows only three deaf wrestlers have gone to the nationals, two from Maryland one from Georgia. The two from Maryland didn't place, but the one from Georgia did.
There will be more than 3,000 wrestlers at the tournament, including about 100 in each class. Cross will probably wrestle in the cadet 215-pound division.
n n n
ALTHOUGH HE'S ONLY 16, Cross is an experienced wrestler. He became involved in the sport when he was 3-and-a-half years old. Growing up, he wrestled for various clubs and at MSD. He's experienced success against both deaf and hearing wrestlers.
"I've been wrestling against hearing wrestlers when I started," he said. "I prefer hearing wrestlers because the matches are more difficult."
He said the difference between hearing and deaf wrestlers is the experience factor.
"The (hearing) wrestlers have more training," he said. "It's easier for me to win against deaf wrestlers because they are not as experienced. I feel they are both equal and would do equally well if they had the same training."
Schartner agreed and he should know. He coached wrestling for 18 years at MSD before going to Middletown 15 years ago.
"From my view, the one difference is that if the hearing wrestler is on the mat he can hear his coach yell instructions," Schartner said. "That can help at some levels. But it's at the higher levels that wrestlers can't really listen to the coach, things are too fast."
Although he has only been wrestling at MSD for two years, Cross has done better than many of the team's older grapplers. He has won two Eastern Secondary Schools for the Deaf championships in the 189-pound category. This year, he was 27-6 in dual matches and was sixth in the prestigious State Independent Tournament at McDonough School in February and won his division in the Maryland State Freestyle Championships in May, also at McDonough. He won all of his matches in the 189 weight class at the National Dual Deaf Prep Wrestling Tournament in California, and won one match at the National Prep Tournament at Lehigh University.
In a newsletter, MSD coach Chris vonGarrell said being able to compete in the prep tournament was "a huge experience for Mark who has unlimited potential."
After doing well in the Maryland freestyle tournament in May, Cross decided he wanted to wrestle in the national tournament in Fargo. The only problem was he had to raise $1,500 for the trip. His family is still involved in raising the funds.
"I am going to get the money some way," said his mother, Mary Cross. "He's going."
He will wrestle in both freestyle and Greco-Roman.
Cross, who one day hopes to be a doctor, eventually hopes to attend the World Games for the Deaf Trials next year and qualify for the United States team for the 2009 World Games.
But the Fargo tournament comes first.
"He will be competing against the best wrestlers in the country," Schartner said. "It's a great opportunity for him, a good opportunity for him to see where he needs to get better."