A Look At The Daily Life of an Army Black Knight Wrestler

Demanding Schedule Will Keep Team Busy On and Off Mat at Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational
By Matt Krumrie – Senior Editor
The life of a college student is not easy. Late night cram sessions, constantly changing routines to juggle class, study and work schedules, along with the stress of figuring out what one wants to do with their life is a challenge.

This story sponsored by: TWM is the Official Website for the 2003 Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational

The life of a college student-athlete, especially that of a wrestler, is even tougher. All those scenarios above combined with daily practice, meeting weight requirements, and travel all add to an already stressful schedule.

The life of a college student-athlete at the United States Military Academy in West Point, New York, home of the Army Black Knights wrestling team, may be something one can’t comprehend unless they actually go through the daily military, academic and athletic obligations required of an Army student-athlete.

“Our guys obviously are very focused, and committed to academics and athletics,” said Army coach Chuck Barbee. “They have an opportunity to get a world-class education at one of the premiere leadership institutions in the world, and they have a chance to compete at the highest level of collegiate athletics.”

They also have a chance to compete against some of the nation’s top wrestlers Friday and Saturday at the Cliff Keen Las Vegas Invitational at the Las Vegas Convention Center. For the Black Knights, the tournament is a rare opportunity to break away from the rigors of life at West Point. But don’t expect the Black Knights to look at this as a vacation.

“One of the things you learn early out here is time management and organization is extremely important,” said Army 133-pounder Bernard Gardner, a 2003 NCAA qualifier who took third at the EIWA tournament. “That’s why even though we will be out in Vegas and away from the normal routine, we have to stay on top of our academics, you just can’t get behind."

In Las Vegas, many people are going to bed about the same time a West Point student athlete is typically starting his day. Here is an example of a daily schedule for Gardner, a senior from Kinnear, Wyoming, who like most Army athletes, has 19 credit hours of classes this term:

• 5:30 a.m. - wake up, get ready for formation and drill

• 6:50 a.m. - dressed in full uniform, his formation meets and lines up like it is going to march. The group meets for about 25 minutes and discusses everything from current events to what is going on throughout the day or in the future

• 7:15 – breakfast, or back to room to get books

• 7:35 – classes begin, Gardner has four consecutive classes, 55 minutes each, with 10 minute breaks between each

• 11:50-12:30 – formation meets again, followed by lunch

• 12:30-1:30 – academic hour, a chance to meet with your advisor, or maybe a class on military skills

• 1:30-3:50 – final two classes of the day

• 4:30-6:30 – wrestling practice…some days go longer, some go shorter

• 6:30-7:15 – Dinner

• 7:15 – Study time/relax/lights out

“Self-discipline is the biggest factor in succeeding out here,” said Gardner. “I guess that can be said for any college student-athlete, but you have to stay on top of things.”

Gardner agreed that the self-discipline a wrestler needs to succeed on the mat has helped develop the self-discipline to succeed as a student.

“When you wrestle, there are a lot of times when you are tired and worn down, but you can’t quit because you will get beat,” he said. “In wrestling you hold all accountability. You are responsible for how you do on the mat, no one else controls your actions. It’s the same as far as academics and being in the military. There’s no one but you who is responsible for results.”

Army wrestler Luke Calvert, a 184-pound sophomore from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, echoes the same thoughts as Gardner.

“You don’t have a lot of free time during the day, and most of your free time is spent studying or at practice or competition, or catching up on things we may have missed because we were on the road. But the mental toughness learned through wrestling over the years definitely carries over to academics. You have to learn to persevere through the good and bad times, because it can get tough out here and everyone is under a lot of pressure.”

But at the same time, wrestling is a way to let out that stress, and trips to places like Las Vegas are a chance to enjoy a part of the world much, much different than that at West Point.

“Sometimes you might have a bad day or be frustrated because it is so demanding, but it’s great to get out on the mat and just let all your stress out,” said Gardner. “Going to Vegas is a great chance to wrestle against top competition in a tough tournament setting. We’re looking forward to it.”

Calvert said that unless you actually go through the daily routines an Army student-athlete does, it’s probably difficult to truly imagine what it is like.

“I can describe it to some people and they are just shocked that we would even go through something like that,” he said. “I describe it to others and they think it’s a great opportunity to do something many people don’t have.”

The rigors of the Academy do play a role in the type of athletes Barbee can recruit.

“Some get scared away because of the demands,” said Barbee. “Some think it’s a great opportunity. The first thing we have to look at is if the person is a strong student, if they can handle the academic rigors. If they can take academics serious and have the potential to wrestle at this level, then we may have a fit. I always try to educate potential wrestlers on what life is like out here and try to be straightforward with what to expect. If you can come here and succeed, you can be very successful in life.”