Mark Hall advice to all recruits

[MNkids2IA]

http://www.flowrestling.org/article/46305-mark-hall-offers-advice-to-all-recruits

Don't choose your college decision exclusively on wrestling

Hall, "83 times out of 100, college coaches are absolutely ruthless. They want you to represent their program. They want you in their singlet. They all will tell you their place is the best place to achieve your dreams as a wrestler. Anyone who knows who I am, knows my views, and at the end of the day, there is more to life than wrestling. That being said, you CANNOT choose a place for JUST wrestling. Choosing a college just for wrestling is like getting a fruit salad just to eat the grapes in it. There is so much more to this life than wrestling, and I can't stress that enough. When your career is all said and done, you're going to need to get a job, and for most people, it just doesn't involve being in the sport anymore. Recognize this, and don't let anyone cloud your mind with the idea that wrestling is what college is about."

The same day I read this I happened to watch, "Dan Gable the full documentary on YOUTUBE In the middle of the documentary they talk about, as a coach, Gable turned down a 4 time state champion because he had aspirations other than wrestling.

 

[hawknut]

Hall is right, but I can't imagine anybody hating the college, but still going there for wrestling.

 

[Sandor45]

"...I had a coach unfollow me on Twitter...."

I hope Mark is ok and this doesn't have a long term psychological affect on him for years to come.

 

[crapman]

I would think his age would help his maturity... after all he is already two years older than his "grade level."

 

[DonHawkeye]

Hall seems like a decent kid from most accounts but he does come off somewhat douchey and self important in this article. He has hardly been on campus for more than a couple months. I am sure he has a great feeling about PSU but does he really know how it is going to shake out as a school there? He could have cut this down to about 1 paragraph about how kids should take all their visits if nothing else for 5 free trips.

Oh and on a side note. I have heard very similar stories of Cael doing the same move he was bashing a coach for in the article. Trying to put BIG TIME pressure on a kid to sign while he was there in person.

 

[lookleft goright]

I am impressed with his math skills. 83 out of 100 is pretty precise. Maybe Az chief can let me know what percentage that is.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

I am impressed with his math skills. 83 out of 100 is pretty precise. Maybe Az chief can let me know what percentage that is.

Had the same impression. Where the heck does 83% come from? A weird percentage to use if you're trying to indicate that a certain behavior is extremely common among coaches. I'd expect something more like 99% in that case. Perhaps Mark conducted a prospective study and statistically determined that this kind of behavior is exhibited by coaches 83% of the time.

 

[rossel 33]

I would think his age would help his maturity... after all he is already two years older than his "grade level."

how old is he?

I thought in the interview he said he was 18, which is about right for a HS graduate, and certainly younger than many.

 

[Omahahawk86]

how old is he?

I thought in the interview he said he was 18, which is about right for a HS graduate, and certainly younger than many.

He's one year older than his grade level. I believe he was 19 with a February birthday when he graduated. I believe he took 7th grade twice. Once in Kentucky and once in Minnesota.

 

[Azchief32]

I am impressed with his math skills. 83 out of 100 is pretty precise. Maybe Az chief can let me know what percentage that is.

I flunked out of Geometry before they got to percentages.

 

[CradleKing26]

I think I would have to agree with Mark's message.

 

[Stanley75]

If I were Hall I'd quit wrestling, and learn how to use a loom..

 

[24 so far]

I think I would have to agree with Mark's message.

Yep, and the 20 million before him who've said the exact same thing.

 

[SetonHallPirate]

83% is a little less than five out of six.

 

[2plus2]

He's one year older than his grade level. I believe he was 19 with a February birthday when he graduated. I believe he took 7th grade twice. Once in Kentucky and once in Minnesota.

Maybe he just wanted to make sure 7th grade was more important than wrestling bc you can only experience 7th grade once in your life. Oh wait...

 

[wasdt21]

his first seventh grade did not properly prepare him for life after wrestling, so he went to a school that was better.yea I like this kid, but he already has the pennst attitude down pat.

 

[DonHawkeye]

his first seventh grade did not properly prepare him for life after wrestling, so he went to a school that was better.yea I like this kid, but he already has the pennst attitude down pat.

Now he just needs a cool nickname like The Carny or GorlliaFart.

 

[pablow]

Had the same impression. Where the heck does 83% come from? A weird percentage to use if you're trying to indicate that a certain behavior is extremely common among coaches. I'd expect something more like 99% in that case. Perhaps Mark conducted a prospective study and statistically determined that this kind of behavior is exhibited by coaches 83% of the time.

I thought elite athletes generally use 110% as their go-to percentage.

 

[pinters]

Enjoy the logjam Bael

 

[ping72]

how old is he?

I thought in the interview he said he was 18, which is about right for a HS graduate, and certainly younger than many.

26

 

[Blackcat97]

Lotta hate in this thread:

 

[Chickenman Testa]

I would think his age would help his maturity... after all he is already two years older than his "grade level."

So just like Gavin Teasdale?

I'll hang up and listen

 

[FineMaterial]

Now he just needs a cool nickname like The Carny or GorlliaFart.

His name on the Penn State boards is "Wreck" .

 

[pinters]

Same age as our Vince Turk

 

[whejoe]

Lotta hate in this thread:

That's because all the love is going on in the Marinelli Dream thread...check it out.

 

[WWDMHawkeye]

how old is he?

I thought in the interview he said he was 18, which is about right for a HS graduate, and certainly younger than many.

38 by my count.

 

[JBJRFL]

38 by my count.

There's that Jack Daniels math again.

 

[dropster45]

Is this the "How to be the voice of Minnesota wrestling" thread? Finally, I found it!!!

 

[jammenz]

Don't ever ask Hall for directions. He thinks that Penn State is in the Midwest.

 

[jammenz]

Is this the "How to be the voice of Minnesota wrestling" thread? Finally, I found it!!!

"Hall avoided the pin and came back to beat Morgan 8-6 in four overtimes.... But what if he had been pinned? “I would have fought back, got third, probably come back for my eighth-grade year (and) wrestled,” Hall said, “then to be honest, I probably would not have stayed (after that).”

“It’s been a goal of mine to be the face of Minnesota wrestling,” he said. Gophers coach J Robinson recently said that he doesn’t know how Hall, a Penn State commit, can be the face of Minnesota wrestling if he leaves the state... St Paul Pioneer Press, 2/27/16

 

[woodsiding]

My whole life I've wanted to be a carpenter. I bought a saw.
Now that I'm highly qualified, here's my advice to all future carpenters, buy a good saw.

 

[dropster45]

"Hall avoided the pin and came back to beat Morgan 8-6 in four overtimes.... But what if he had been pinned? “I would have fought back, got third, probably come back for my eighth-grade year (and) wrestled,” Hall said, “then to be honest, I probably would not have stayed (after that).”

“It’s been a goal of mine to be the face of Minnesota wrestling,” he said. Gophers coach J Robinson recently said that he doesn’t know how Hall, a Penn State commit, can be the face of Minnesota wrestling if he leaves the state... St Paul Pioneer Press, 2/27/16

He gets a bye on the judgement of his ego-laced thoughts for now. Humility has a tendency to find those who need it most, though sometimes it takes its time.

 

[DonHawkeye]

My whole life I've wanted to be a carpenter. I bought a saw.
Now that I'm highly qualified, here's my advice to all future carpenters, buy a good saw.

Seriously, It is almost as bad your buddy who just got married who can't stop talking about how great marriage is.

 

[The Vak]

Mark Hall will be 20 in January. He's also awesome.

 

[Stanley75]

My whole life I've wanted to be a carpenter. I bought a saw.
Now that I'm highly qualified, here's my advice to all future carpenters, buy a good saw.

Could we see the saw. Oh wait I saw that saw when I purchased a hammer and saw.

 

[2plus2]

Mark Hall will be 20 in January. He's also awesome.

Wow the Billy Madison of collegiate wrestling. Thought only the Mormons held that honor.

 

[GantryZ]

Steve Mocco was a 20 year old true freshman finalist for Iowa in 2002. A December birthday in fact, making him older than Hall going into his freshman year.

 

[Omahahawk86]

Steve Mocco was a 20 year old true freshman finalist for Iowa in 2002. A December birthday in fact, making him older than Hall going into his freshman year.

Bigger recruit. Spencer Lee or Mocco?

 

[grapplefann]

I would have liked to see Mark Hall in an Iowa singlet, but I have to agree with him on this, and I'm glad that he wrote it. I wish him success in life. Some coaches (hopefully not ours) should feel a little nervous reading it. We want our recruits to come for all the right reasons, and great wrestling is just one of them. Recently I read about another coach (not ours) who described an outstanding wrestler as a warrior who wants to turn pro. I'm in the naive minority, but I'm not one of those fans who follows professional warriors. College is meant to help prepare you for a meaningful and useful life, not just combat.

 

[lookleft goright]

He gets a bye on the judgement of his ego-laced thoughts for now. Humility has a tendency to find those who need it most, though sometimes it takes its time.

Yeah, (good call on giving him a pass for now. The kid went thru something tough and he wanted to help others with it. I would say he was a very highly and often recruited kid. I am sure he can help others who are going thru it. Some of the things coaches do to get kids (Iowa included) can really mess with a kids mind and put a lot of pressure on them.
Maybe he didn't come off as mister humble, but he is trying to help and it seems his heart is in the right place.