BonnerSprings.com

The Mill Valley wrestling program has always taken a blue-collar approach to developing champions under coach Travis Keal’s leadership, so Keal was particularly excited when an NCAA national champion who fits that very mold agreed to lead a camp at MVHS.

David Zabriskie, a 2010 national champion in the heavyweight class at Iowa State, was in town Thursday, July 8, and helped teach skills to about 40 campers for a three-hour session.

“The kids really enjoyed it,” Keal said. “We went over some of the same stuff we do, but it was a little bit better. Sometimes it helps to have it coming from another person instead of always from me.

“It’s summertime. It’s hard when you can be out there swimming or out with your friends, but any time you can get in there and make yourself better and learn from an NCAA champion, that’s a good thing that I think they were eager to do.”

Zabriskie clearly commanded campers’ attention throughout the day. He began by sharing the story of how he got into wrestling late in the game — he didn’t start until eighth grade — but didn’t let the late start prevent him from achieving his goals.

“I wasn’t the most talented guy,” Zabriskie said. “I was one of the stronger guys, and that helped me through some competitions, but the thing that helped me the most was that I was focused and I set goals for myself.

“Making it to the state tournament was one of my first goals in high school, and it took me three years to do that.”

Zabriskie placed sixth at state as a junior and won a state championship as a senior in New Jersey. He wasn’t heavily recruited, but he said his hustle and hard work at summer tournaments caught the eye of Iowa State’s coaches and helped him earn a scholarship.

Throughout his college career Zabriskie posted a 116-22 record, won three Big 12 Conference championships, became a three-time All-American and won a national title.

“I never took for granted the success I was having,” he said of his constant pursuit of improvement. “I always treated myself as the underdog.”

After using his personal story to prove that hard work can pay off, Zabriskie began working the campers hard on the mat. First, he led them through warm-up drills. Then he turned the focus to teaching moves to help wrestlers control their opponents’ positioning and set up takedowns.

While campers paid attention, so did coaches in attendance, including those from the MVHS staff, the Mill Valley Kids Club and Bonner Springs High School.

“He was showing techniques today that we do, but there are always little things that you (as a coach) can pick up here and there. I’d see something and think, ‘Oh, I like that!’” Keal said. “That’s what we try to do in the summer, is find things that fit our system and make them better. I got five or six things today from Dave. It makes me better as a coach just being around him today.”

Keal said he had no problem opening the practice room to athletes and coaches from other schools in the area — even some of the Jaguars’ Kaw Valley League rivals — because it’s good for the sport.

“To me, that’s what wrestling is,” Keal said. “You learn from different people, and sometimes you open up your wrestling room to people you have to face later, but it makes Kansas wrestling in the long run.”

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