I transferred to Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York, following my freshman year at RIC. The decision was made because two of my good friends were at Hofstra. In the back of my mind, and in all likelihood maybe the real reason on a subconscious level, I knew they had a Division I wrestling team. I thought if I ever decided I wanted to wrestle again, I would not have to transfer for a second time.
An NCAA rule mandates that any transfer from a Division III institution has to sit out one year before they are eligible to compete at the Division I level. The reason behind that rule is that it keeps Division III more competitive. Either way, this rule did not pertain to me. I had no plans on wrestling.
During transfer orientation, I learned something that would prove fundamental down the road. I was asked how well I knew the Spanish language. I had taken four years of Spanish in high school, but I told the questioner, “I don’t know anything. I should be in a level one class.”
His response was, “How could you let them do that to you? Four years and you don’t think you learned anything?”
I stared at him blankly. Now, I comprehend the point he was trying to make. In my high school Spanish classes, I had been in a situation where I was not learning. It was my job to get out of it or make the most of it. I never did, and all of the time was wasted. The lesson was transferable to wrestling, which I would later realize, and many other situations.
The first semester at Hofstra, in the fall of 2004, wrestling did not cross my mind. I needed a mental break, and that was exactly what I got. It was nice to be free of the 24/7, all-consuming wrestling thoughts. That spring, the first inklings of change sprung at me as I made my way to watch the last match of the Hofstra wrestling season. Coincidently, it happened to be senior night for the Hofstra team. Two seniors were honored that night, both former New Jersey state champions Chris Skretkowicz and Ricky Laforge (@rickylaforge).
After the Hofstra team’s wrestling season ended, I started to feel the itch to get back on the mat. I contacted Tom Ryan, Hofstra’s head coach at the time. He invited me to open mats the very next day. As the open mat session concluded, Coach Ryan watched me going at it with one of his starters. He called me over and said, “I want you on my team.” Then he asked, “Were you the hardest working guy on your team in high school?” I hesitated and said yes. He nodded and smiled. I continued to work out with Hofstra until the end of the semester with plans of joining them at the start of the 2005-2006 season.
Before that could come to fruition, I contracted mononucleosis, and it foiled my plans for a return to wrestling. I was forced to discontinue working out for more than a month. I lost all the progress I had made and needed another few months just to get back to where I was before the illness. A Hofstra assistant coach called at the end of the summer to tell me team workouts would begin the same day school started. The month in bed battling mono had given me mixed feelings again about wrestling, and I declined his offer. I did not think I was ready to start practicing with a top Division I team. I told myself to forget wrestling and move on.
That proved to be impossible.
Mike Riley (@mike_riley79), a wrestler from the Rhode Island area, was a key to my return. We talked sometime during the early part of my third semester at Hofstra in the fall of 2005. I told him I was not sure what to do. He replied, “Stop being a baby about this decision, make one and stick to it. Stop saying you are probably going to do one thing or the other.” I did not know how to respond and remember being pretty mad at the time. What he said made me stop and think about what I wanted to do. It ultimately helped me decide I could not put my passion for the sport off any longer. I realized I would have my whole life after wrestling to enjoy the parties, food, and relaxing days that most people take for granted. There is only a limited amount of time to be a college athlete. The realization was ironic since many other people had already voiced similar notions without it ever sinking in.
The Hofstra team had been training since the end of the previous season, and I was just starting to get back into it. I wanted to be one of the ten starters in the second semester. At the Division I level, the odds were long. Luckily, I had another option. Coach Jones had kept in contact and let me know the RIC door was still open.
I remember the exact moment I decided to transfer back to RIC. I was at Penn State visiting my girlfriend, Christina. We were in the mall when a former teammate, Matt Kelly, called me on my cell phone. He had heard that I was thinking of coming back and told me he had an open room for the start of the second semester. Without any more thought, I told him, “I’ll take it,” and I became one of the boys of 50 Gloucester by moving to that street address in Providence. I had been unsure of what to do, and this call was the sign that made it clear to me. I was a wrestler who belonged at RIC, and I could no longer run from that.
What You Can Take Away from Chapter 5:
A mental break can be very refreshing, energizing, and positive.
Do not run from what you are.
You will know what to do when the time comes.