Angle speaks about determination

Don't give up on your dreams.

This was the message Olympic wrestling gold medalist Kurt Angle gave to the more than 50 people who attended the Mark Luchinsky Memorial lecture last night at the HUB.

Angle told his story of adversity, struggle, and an undying belief in himself on his way to Olympic glory. He overcame injuries, the death of his father, which occurred when Angle was 16, and the death of his coach Dave Schultz.

Angle told students to set goals for themselves and then strive to achieve them.

"I commend anyone who goes for their dreams and goals," he said, "whether they achieve them or not."

The Pittsburgh native said he knew at the age of six he would be in the Olympics while watching Bruce Jenner bring home the gold in the decathlon. He followed in his four brothers' footsteps and began to wrestle. The first year he struggled, posting only a 2-10 record, but he never gave up.

"If you asked my brothers who in our family is most likely to win the Olympics," he said. "I would have been dead last."

- Kurt Angle
Olympic wrestling gold medalist

"I probably failed more times than I achieved," Angle said. "But I never quit."

The crowd was mostly students, including many members of the Nittany Lion wrestling team. The person who introduced Angle was the one who, according to Angle, inspired him to push a little bit harder, Lion senior Kerry McCoy. McCoy was Angle's main competitor for the chance to represent America at 220 lbs. in the 1996 games.

"I think he's got a great story," McCoy said. "He had to work hard to get where he is. He's a great example of if you try hard enough sooner or later you will reach your goals."

Kurt Angle's story is one that transcends just the sport of wrestling, though. He also spoke of his trials in the classroom. Angle said he never cared too much about academics throughout high school and his first two years at Clarion.

Then he injured his knee in the summer before his junior year and suddenly his priorities were shuffled. In his junior year he had a 4.0 average.

The people he looked up to also changed.

"At that moment I realized who my true role models were," he said. "They were the people who helped me, my parents, coaches, teachers and doctors."

He went on to tell students to chose a career path they were sure they would be happy with, not just the easiest. He stressed not to take the easy way out, not to settle on something.

The secret to his success, he said, was that he trained harder than anyone and he sacrificed a lot of time. He also changed his attitude two years ago when he quit wrestling for three months. During this time, Angle decided winning wasn't the most important thing but rather doing everything possible to try and win and enjoy it.

"Since then, I haven't lost," he said. "I changed my attitude and I enjoyed what I was doing."

The lecture was in memory of Mark Luchinsky a student at Penn State who died suddenly two years ago. The event is sponsored by the University Scholars and Angle was the speaker at Luchinsky's parents request, who endow the lecture.

"When I think of Mark one of his biggest qualities was his integrity," Christy Hendler, one of Mark Luchinsky's friends, said. "Kurt Angle is a man of high integrity as well."