If you’re like me, you’ve seen more than enough of the TV interviews with Penn State wrestlers immediately after they’ve won individual titles at the NCAA National Championships. Or maybe not enough.
Not enough? I never get tired of seeing Cael Sanderson’s grapplers celebrating individual or team titles, and no doubt you feel the same. If this is an embarrassment of riches, I think we’re happy to be embarrassed.
More than enough? These interviews typically happen the moment the winning wrestler steps off the mat. He’s bleeding from the lips, gasping for breath or—due to adrenaline—shouting into the microphone. I’d prefer to have ESPN run a commercial before talking to our hero so he wouldn’t look so hyper.
But whether we embrace these immediate interviews or recoil from them, we know basically what we’ll hear from our Nittany Lion champions. They’re probably not going to say, “I’m the greatest.” Rather, they’re going to express gratitude to coaches, teammates, parents, God or all of the above.
Indeed, gratitude is a central theme of the Penn State wrestling program. In fact, the coaches (Cael, Cody Sanderson, Casey Cunningham and Nick Lee) stress thanksgiving on a year-round basis, not just in late November.
So where did this emphasis start for Penn State in a sport that traditionally emphasizes a tough-it-out grittiness? “The gratitude began from the top with Cael,” says Cunningham. “It’s been something that I think he’s preached since day one. He’ll say, ‘Be thankful for this opportunity that you get to be in this room to train, compete, have fun. It’s not that we have to do this, but we get to do this.’”
Jeff Byers, now in his 36th season of broadcasting Penn State wrestling, offers a similar perspective. “I think it is a genuine and authentic gratitude that runs throughout the program,” says Byers. “It certainly starts with the coaches. And I think it comes from the opportunity to spend time here on earth doing things you enjoy with people that you love and being able to pursue the things that they want to pursue. I mean there is a lot to be grateful for.”
COACHES WALK THE TALK
Although Penn State’s coaches continually emphasize the importance of thankfulness, they know their conduct is more critical than their words. “It’s important that we work on ourselves first,” Cunningham told me over a cup of coffee at Good Day Café. “We often do not get it right ourselves and are far from perfect, but we must try to live the example. Showing gratitude, showing joy, being kind, we must try to do all those things that we want from our guys.”
And then Cunningham offers a case study in the importance of emotional preparation for wrestling. “I remember one year we were in a battle at the Nationals and we were between rounds—either before the semifinals or before the All-American round when points become really important. We as a staff got together in Cael’s hotel room and I remember my heart was kind of racing while thinking through all the scenarios and calculating the numbers.
“Suddenly, Cael just stopped the meeting and—I don’t remember his exact words—he said something like, “Ultimately, God’s in control here. Let’s pray about this and whatever happens, happens. Then let’s come alongside these guys, love ’em and let ’em know we’re here for them.’
“So that’s what we did and then they just went out and wrestled free and we won that tournament. And that kind of shaped my mindset. As a coach, I’m like, ‘Hey, we’re coming up on a big tournament. We’ve got to make sure we get this single leg figured out. We’ve got to get this escape figured out.’ Obviously, we’re going to work on technique and other things, but ultimately, if the guys know you love them and care about them and want what’s best for them, then when they get to Big Tens or Nationals, they can compete freely.
“We’ve got a group of guys that seem to really be thankful for this opportunity (wrestling for Penn State) and that’s cool. And if we feel like we’re getting away from that, we start talking about that with our team and have them write down things they are thankful for and put them in the Gratitude Box in our room.
“There’s a lot of research that (shows) when you write those things down and say those things out loud, there’s an effect on your body. Even things as simple as the fact that we have a fueling station upstairs that has beef jerky and Gatorade in it. If you can be grateful for small things, then you’re much more grateful for the opportunity to represent Penn State, to wear the singlet, to be in that (wrestling) room.”
THE SECRET SAUCE?
With a succession of superstars like Ed Ruth, David Taylor, Zain Retherford, Jason Nolf, Bo Nickal, Aaron Brooks and Carter Starocci bringing elation to quaint old Rec Hall, wrestling experts are stumped. What is the Penn State secret? Is it a unique workout, an innovative diet, a brilliant strategy or an exotic form of dodgeball?
Maybe the “secret” is hidden in plain sight. Maybe it’s the old-fashioned virtue of gratitude that has helped Penn Staters win a surprising 67.9% of their NCAA national semifinal matches since 2011 and a shocking 87.5% of their final matches during the same period.
Brooks put “gratitude” out there as the answer when he talked with ESPN’s Quinn Kessenich last March after winning his fourth national crown. Referring to Penn State’s team dominance, Kessenich asked, “What do you think the secret sauce is? What makes it all work?” And Brooks replied, “Gratitude, man. We all love each other, but we’re grateful for what we have.”
Subtle as it may seem to coaches trapped in the tough-guy mold of the past, Cunningham views it as simple and basic. “If you’re grateful for the opportunity to represent your school, your family and God,” he says, “then that kind of takes the stress off. It’s not about you necessarily. You take it off of you. We know guys want to win, so we know that’s important. But it’s not life and death; it’s truly not. Let’s enjoy this if we’re going to do it, and we’ll go from there.”
GRATITUDE DESPITE ADVERSITY
Despite reaching unprecedented levels of success—the Lions set a new all-time team scoring record at last year’s NCAA tournament—they aren’t immune from adversity. So is there a place for gratitude in a wrestler’s life when dealing with personal trials, injuries or competitive setbacks?
Kyle Snyder would respond to that question with a hearty yes. Snyder captured three NCAA titles as an Ohio State Buckeye, but he’s been a resident athlete with the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club since 2019 and a key member of Coach Cael’s grappling community.
A gold medalist at the 2016 Olympic Games and silver medalist at the 2020 Olympics, “Snyderman” had high hopes for a medal at this summer’s Paris Games, but things didn’t go his way and he settled for fifth place.
Of course, Snyder wasn’t happy with that outcome, but he chose not to focus on his disappointment. “It’s not like I’m going to sit there and sulk and act like somebody whose whole life is dependent upon winning wrestling matches,” he told me in August, ”because my whole life isn’t dependent upon that.
“Wrestling is a very intense sport. It is easy to get caught up in the pressure and start focusing on the results too much. Gratitude keeps you in the right competitive mentality.”
Jose Campo, the chaplain for USA Wrestling, was a first-hand observer to Snyder’s inspiring response in Paris. “Kyle loses in the Olympics, he has disappointment at the Olympics,” says Campo, “but what does he do? He talks about how he’s grateful to be at the Olympics. I think he is the epitome of gratitude in our sport.”
Meanwhile, current Penn State varsity wrestler Shayne Van Ness has also learned to emphasize gratitude even when circumstances are difficult. Van Ness placed third at the 2023 NCAAs and looked ready for a sensational year in 2023-24 until an injury ended his season after just three bouts.
At first, said Van Ness, “I was getting really frustrated with the (rehabilitation) process and how slow it was. Focusing on one day at a time really helped me get through the process.”
The final result—athletically and emotionally—was evident last weekend when Van Ness returned to competition at the NWCA All-Star Classic. Displaying a remarkable dominance over the nation’s No. 3-ranked 149-pounder, Van Ness thrashed West Virginia’s Ty Watters, 16-4. And then he celebrated with one of the broadest grins I’ve seen from any wrestler during my 60+ years of Rec Hall attendance.
“It had been a long time and I just wanted to be grateful for the experience,” said the product of New Jersey’s Blair Academy. “I have these goals of teaching and learning and a new one I’ve added this year is to become a gratitude monster. I want to be absolutely the most grateful person I can be for every experience because I know what it’s like when those opportunities get taken away from you.”
BEAU KNOWS GRATITUDE
Beau Bartlett is now in his fifth year—thanks to COVID—of wrestling for Penn State. But he freely admits it took a while for him to capture the wisdom of Cael Sanderson’s pre-match words.
“Coach Cael is talking while I’m putting tape on my shoes, drinking my water and just getting ready to wrestle. He’s saying different things but there’s one thing he says before every single match: ‘This comes and goes.’ That’s all it is. But wrestling, specifically this match, comes and goes. And I think that puts into perspective that our matches are numbered and that allows us to be grateful. I have work to do, but four years are gone already. So be here right now in the moment. Be grateful for it.”
Like Snyder and Van Ness, Bartlett has learned to be thankful for wrestling’s adversities. Competing above his optimal weight, he posted a combined record of 23-13 as a Penn State freshman and sophomore—somewhat below his high school achievements that included four National Prep championships. Although he established himself as a star during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons, Bartlett ended last year in disappointment when Ohio State’s Jesse Mendez barely managed the key takedown in winning the national title.
“I’m grateful for the struggle,” Bartlett told me earlier this month. “But I think the message is not just being grateful for the struggle, but it’s being grateful for disappointment, too. Last year I got better at wrestling, no doubt. I got in better shape, got stronger and learned a lot about wrestling, but I didn’t win NCAAs.
“And why that’s important is because you can be grateful in disappointment if you committed your whole self through the struggle. If you gave your best effort and you learned something along the way, you gain something.”
A YEAR-ROUND EMPHASIS
Bartlett says Thanksgiving is “definitely” his favorite holiday of the year—for a variety of reasons. “We all (his family) get to be together and really relax,” he explains. “It’s just relax, breathe, be thankful, take some time off. It’s awesome.”
The psychology major is definitely grateful to God (his key Bible verse, Isaiah 41:10, is prominently displayed on his phone), and he’s definitely grateful to his parents for moving the family from Arizona to Kingston, Pa., so that he and his sister could attend Wyoming Seminary, an outstanding college prep school for academics and athletics. “My parents,” he says, “are completely and entirely selfless. Understanding what my parents have done for me, I would love to be like them.”
As for others on the team, Cunningham notes that the holiday varies in significance for each member. “We have guys from all different walks of life,” he says, “some guys that are very devout about their faith and some guys that are exploring and some guys that aren’t interested right now.
“But the point remains, you can be grateful for the university giving you this opportunity, you can be grateful for your family for putting you in this situation, you can be grateful to God. So It’s a little bit different for each guy, but for us as a staff, our gratitude begins with God. That’s where it comes from for us.”
Ironically, the holiday itself is not given any extra attention. Yes, there is a team dinner prior to Thanksgiving, and there is a chance for wrestlers to express things for which they are thankful. But as Cunningham says, “When Thanksgiving comes, it’s not a time when all of a sudden we think about things we’re thankful for. That’s something we talk about every day.”
DYNASTY SPREADS THANKFULNESS?
Although the formal holiday of Thanksgiving doesn’t get big play from the Penn State wrestling team, the concept of thankfulness certainly does. Pardon the pun, but these wrestlers will go to the mat for gratitude.
Meanwhile, it wouldn’t surprise me if this gratitude thing spreads throughout the wrestling rooms of America as Penn State’s dynasty continues and spreads its influence.
According to Byers, this year’s freshman class is “one of the greatest recruiting classes in the history of the sport.” And as for future years of recruiting, Campo asks, “Who wouldn’t want to be in a program where they don’t overemphasize winning, where they have fun and where they’re grateful?”
Oh well, I guess I can put up with more bleeding lips and breathless words from future Nittany Lion champions. Maybe I can even decide to be grateful.
