On the street, Chuckie Kerkesner’s size is enough to turn
heads and intimidate nearly anyone.
On the mat, he’s the smallest wrestler in his weight
class—by a long shot.
While many wrestlers struggle to remain just below the
threshold of their weight class, Kerkesner is aiming for the complete opposite
effect. As one of just two F&M wrestlers in the 285-pound slot, Kerkesner’s
leaner physique costs him a 60-pound disadvantage against his opponents.
Unfortunately for his opponents, Kerkesner’s heart,
determination, and assiduity for all things wrestling makes up for the absent
weight, posing a threat against anyone he faces on the mat.
“Wrestling is pretty much the only sport I’ve done,”
Kerkesner said. “I pretty much focus only on wrestling.”
Judging from Kerkesner’s impressive wrestling resume, his tactics
and methods have been beyond successful, earning him back-to-back state titles,
a Cypress Lake high school record of 156 career wins, and a more than memorable
undefeated (44-0) senior season.
Kerkesner’s career began when he was in the 2nd grade,
shortly after his uncles introduced the sport to him. His affinity for
wrestling was immediately acknowledged, and it became clear that the Florida
native had both the physical and mental capacity to become a champion wrestler.
“It’s one of the toughest sports that there are, and not
many people in the world can really succeed at it,” Kerkesner said.
As a 220-pound wrestler in a 285-pound weight class, Kerkesner
certainly hasn’t been making things easier for the freshman.
“I’m like 60 pounds underweight right now,” Kerkesner said.
“It’s kind of hard with my weight, so the guys [opponents] are able to throw me
around easier. It does let me be a little quicker than the other guys, but
still it’s kind of tough having to give up that much weight.”
Even with his disadvantage, Kerkesner has managed to post a
7-5 record at F&M thus far, and is showing potential for the rest of the
season and years ahead.
“I think I’ve been doing pretty well in my matches,”
Kerkesner said. “Right now, I’m only around 220, but I want to be around 240,
250 by the end of the season, and put on a little more muscle also.”
In high school, wrestling was innate to Kerkesner, as he
captured second place in the state of Florida at the 189-pound class his
sophomore year, followed by two state titles at 215 and 220-pounds his junior
and senior seasons, respectively. As a freshman on the varsity team and a
captain three out of his four years at Cypress Lake, Kerkesner grew accustomed
to playing the role of team leader early on, and his main hindrance was always
himself. At F&M, Kerkesner has enjoyed the luxury of having such supportive
and motivating teammates and coaches.
His favorite
part of F&M wrestling: “just being able to spend time with the team and
getting to know everyone, making new friends.”
The two-time state champ has been driven by the returning
wrestlers on the team, who continue inspiring him to do better, while
motivating him to challenge himself, and anyone he squares up against on the
mat, including fellow team members
Lacking motivation has never been a problem Kerkesner has
had to worry about. Only a few weeks into the 2012-13 season, Kerkesner is
already eyeing a spot for himself at the NCAA National Championships. Before
his graduation, he aspires to earn all-America honors.
“For my entire career I’d probably like to become an
all-American,” said Kerkesner. “I’d like to have a winning record—for this
year, I’d probably say make it to nationals, maybe qualify for nationals.”
While the young wrestler faces a long road to qualifying for
the National Championships, his indefatigable passion and zeal for the sport
will propel him towards success, and perhaps this March, Kerkesner will find
himself in Des Moines, Iowa, achieving his goals and competing at the most
elite wrestling tournament in the NCAA.
