Most people remember a specific moment or a long lasting influence that steered them towards the sport they chose to play. Whether that is a passion or spontaneous moment of inspiration, this moment usually prompts a moment that lingers in the back of one’s mind for the rest of his or her life.
For Paul Alessandrini, wrestling just seemed like the best sport for him, and he was introduced to the sport at just the right time.
“When I was like five year old, I played football and my dad was my coach,” Alessandrini said. “When I stopped playing, I never liked basketball, so I picked wrestling, and here I am.”
“When I was a child, I always had too much energy and I enjoyed being really physical. So I made that into a sport and wrestling was what came out of it,” he added.
To Alessandrini, wrestling just seemed to be the natural choice. It appealed to his slightly reckless, high-energy personality. Whatever sport he chose had to contain some element of aggression as an outlet for his always running motor.
Alessandrini’s father also played a critical role in his athletic development, coaching him in multiple sports for years.
“My dad was always my coach from football to little kid wrestling,” Alessandrini said. “He was always a big influence and always pushed me through it. He never forced me to do anything, but he always kept me going.”
“He was always a great coach and was always a great dad. He was always there for me.”
Even though Alessandrini experienced some early success as a wrestler and his dad encouraged him every step of the way, he never thought he would be a division one wrestler one day. That isn’t to say Alessandrini never dreamed about it, however; as he noted, thinking and hoping are two unique emotions.
“Thinking I was going to be one and dreaming I would be one are two different things,” he said. “I always wanted to be one…I used to watch the counties and the states on TV and always dreamed of being there.”
If it was unlikely that he would wrestle at the college level, it was even more unlikely that Alessandrini would end up at F&M. Prior to one of his club wrestling coaches reaching out to head coach Mike Rogers and assistant coach Matt Greenberg, Alessandrini had never heard of Franklin & Marshall.
“My club coach…I wrestled for him for two seasons…he was there for me,” Alessandrini said. “During the recruiting process, he contacted F&M. He contacted a lot of schools. I finally got a chance to talk to Coach Greenberg going into my senior year and we just clicked.”
“Initially I had never heard of F&M,” he added. “As soon as I talked to Greenberg, I started doing my research and yeah, they didn’t look that great, but I started talking to coaches and Rogers and they convinced me that this was going to be the start of something new and something good.”
After being contacted by F&M’s coaching staff, Alessandrini did his research and was a bit skeptical after seeing the records the program had assembled the previous few years. Like many of this year’s freshmen, however, Alessandrini was sold on the message both Rogers and Greenberg pitched when he spoke with them: This was his chance to make a true, lasting impact on the program, unlike any other mark he could leave on any other program.
“I think it was just the message that this might be a struggling division one program, but we’re really putting our best foot forward to make this a better program,” Alessandrini said. “Their whole message about making this a legitimate program is what really drew me in.”
AlessandriniAlessandrini considers each member of the class to be entirely unique, with wrestling as the string that connects them and holds everyone together.
“We’re all a bunch of individuals,” he said. “If you put us all in a room and took wrestling away, we would have nothing in common. But we do have one thing in common and that is that we want to make this wrestling program relevant again. I think this is going to be a really good team someday.”
Despite his optimism, Alessandrini’s collegiate wrestling career did not kick off with a bang. After tearing his labrum, he has struggled to get back on the mat, missing a large majority of the season. He claims this weighed on him more mentally than physically, as he always had to keep his shoulder in mind.
“I definitely didn’t think this was my best season. I tore my labrum last season and I am finally getting it fixed on March 9,” Alessandrini said. “I’m just looking forward to next season.”
“It was less not being able to wrestle and more not being able to wrestle to my potential,” he added. “Mentally, being outmatched during some matches really didn’t help when I was thinking, ‘don’t do this, don’t do that, don’t put your shoulder in this position.’ It was a drain on the season.”
Off the mat, Alessandrini remains a sports junkie. He claims, despite his history with football, he would be a lacrosse player if wrestling wasn’t his calling, and he enjoys watching all types of sports with his father and his friends whenever he has the opportunity.
“Wrestling takes up quite a bit of time. In general, when I say I wrestle all year round, I really mean it,” Alessandrini said when asked how he occupied his free time. “Other than wrestling, I enjoy watching sports, playing other sports, and I live on the water and enjoy that an the outdoors.”
“I’m a little short to play football in college,” he added. “But I’ve always loved lacrosse. If there wasn’t wrestling, I would probably be playing lacrosse.”
Even though the freshman has several years to sort out his goals and aspirations, Alessandrini aims to follow in the footsteps of his father after graduation, which would not surprise anyone who knows him.
“My Dad, my grandfather, and my uncle, they all work on Wall St,” Alessandrini said. “It’s kind of leading me to finance. I’ve always wanted to follow in my dad’s footsteps in everything he does. He’s always been a huge influence on me, whether it’s been athletically or in the professional world.”
Itching to get back on the mat, Alessandrini has few goals for his collegiate career: Graduate with a good reputation, have good friends, and become an All-American wrestler. Perhaps little different than what most of his colleagues aim to accomplish during their time in college, but Alessandrini was adamant that, above all else, leaving his mark on the wrestling mat was what mattered to him the most.
There was little hesitation in his voice, and his eyes confirmed the seriousness with which he simply, abruptly, and passionately laid out his short list of collegiate goals.
“I definitely want them to remember me as a division one All-American,” he said. “I don’t care if that sounds bad, but that’s what I want most. I want to be an All-American. I want to graduate with a good group of friends both in and outside of the wrestling team.”
He sat back and smiled; it is clear Alessandrini is rather simple and, above all else, he is committed to the team and his teammates. Few things, if any, will get in his way as strives to achieve his ultimate goal.
Alessandrini, All-American.
“That would be a good enough name for me.”
No comments:
Post a Comment