BY GARRET GARNESS
BY GARRET GARNESS
After college wrestling and graduating from Ohio University in 2014 , I began my professional career as a sales associate with the Minnesota Timberwolves . The longer I spent away from the sport of wrestling , the more I realized I needed it back in my life . The lessons and values that wrestling taught me molded me into the man I am today . Wrestling taught me so much about myself and about life in general that I knew I had to give back to the sport in any way possible . When I learned about the open position with J Robinson Intensive Camps , I realized that The J7 were incredibly similar to the values I learned throughout my competitive career and that I continued to uphold in my life . Therefore , it was an easy decision to join the J Robinson Camps staff when I was given the opportunity in November of 2015 .
The summer of 2016 was certainly an amazing , eye-opening experience for me as it was my first summer as Director of Wrestling Operations for J Robinson Intensive Camps . Throughout the countless hours spent in the winter and spring seasons preparing for camp , I always tried to keep my mind on the reward at the end of the summer — changing the lives of hundreds of young wrestlers across the nation . My anticipation grew as each day passed leading up to the summer .
I was most excited to train and build relationships with hundreds of eager wrestlers that had a desire to be the best wrestlers possible ; although , I admit there was certainly some anxiety as to what exactly I was getting myself into . After all , I now had the challenge of leaving my newly-wedded wife for 66 days , traveling across the country , and managing a staff of more than 30 people , all while upholding the camp ’ s reputation as the toughest camp in the country since 1978 . the camp ’ s never-ending logistics . Although the logistics are important to running a great camp , the joy of my job is seeing the young wrestlers ’ growth over their time spent with us . I gained a tremendous amount of respect for each and every wrestler that attended camp . It is inspiring to witness these campers push themselves past physical and mental barriers in pursuit of earning their I DID IT shirt . In doing so , these athletes learned skills and values that will stay with them for the rest of their lives . In being with the campers for the span of 10 , 14 or 28 days , I can attest to their growth as wrestlers and valuable members of society .
There are many aspects of the camp that set it apart from every other camp in the country — The J7 , four workouts per day , earning the I DID IT shirt , length of time , etc . It is a tremendous feat to complete one of our Intensive Camps . Nothing illustrates this better than the look of accomplishment on every camper ’ s face when they complete the final run on the last day of camp . It ’ s as if they see the world in a whole new light . They understand what it takes to be a great wrestler and they embody the true definition of each of the J7 — Discipline , Dedication , Sacrifice , Hard Work , Responsibility , Accountability , and Service .
I feel privileged to have had a hand in helping these wrestlers reach their future goals in both wrestling and life . Hopefully this camp has had as big of an impact on them as it did on me this summer . Their hard work was truly inspirational , and I wish nothing but success to each and every one of them — they ’ ve earned it .
Once camp season arrived , it did not fail to impress me beyond my wildest expectations . The transition to living in a college dorm room and spending the majority of my day with high school-aged wrestlers was quite smooth . The days seemed to fly by as long as I focused my energy on helping the campers rather than myself . Similar to the message at camp , I took it one day at a time and focused on the next task ahead of me .
The majority of my role at camp is to oversee the day-to-day operations of the camp , coaching staff and athletic training staff to ensure the best experience possible for our campers . In my position , I discovered that it ’ s easy to get distracted by