Wrestling is one of the world's oldest sports and, arguably, one of the most demanding on the athlete. It takes long hours of technical development in addition to an endless physical training regimen that some people may consider insane. There are three types of wrestling: freestyle and Greco-Roman, which are contested in the Olympic Games and internationally, and folkstyle wrestling, which is contested only in the United States as a modified version of freestyle wrestling that was created in the early 1900's to accommodate high school wrestling programs.

The lack of wrestlers being exposed to freestyle and Greco competition caused the United States to fall behind internationally since European wrestlers were competing in freestyle and Greco year-round. As a result, a freestyle/Greco wrestling organization was created in the United States (USA Wrestling) in 1970 and has rapidly become one of the largest wrestling organizations for athletes 7 years old and up. Every spring, thousands of wrestlers choose to continue their high school season by starting freestyle to compete in town, regional, national and international events, all governed by USA Wrestling. H. Frank Carey High School junior Matt Daddino has moved into the center of this "insane" wrestling world over the past two years.

Last summer, Matt qualified for the Cadet (15-16-year-old age group) Nationals in Fargo, ND where over 3,000 competitors wrestled for their right to be crowned National Champion. Matt went into the tournament with a bundle of confidence and stormed through his field of 80 athletes, winning eight straight matches and the 160-pound national title. Matt has continued to roll along this year, winning 33 consecutive matches in high school competition. His only setback came late in this year when he came down with the flu prior to the Nassau County finals and lost a 5-3 match to eventual state champion Tom Katsigiorgis of Massapequa High School.

"I was completely drained of all my energy that night," said Matt. "I tried my best but it wasn't good enough. After the match, I decided to get right back after it and keep training for freestyle."

And he did, indeed. While most people were basking in the sun of spring break, Matt traveled to Evanston, IL on the campus of Northwestern University to compete in the Cadet World Trials. Matt again dominated his weight class by defeating three state champions to claim his spot on the United States Cadet freestyle team. Matt will compete in the World Championships, which will be held in Lodz, Poland this August.

"Winning this tournament is a great accomplishment," Matt said, who attributes his success over the years to his parents and his coach, Steve Shippos, who serves as Matt's wrestling partner every day. "My parents, and especially my father, have been taking me to tournaments since I was a little kid. Without them, I'm not sure if I could have gotten this far."

Coach Shippos believes that Matt's potential is unlimited and that much of what he accomplishes is done by "good old-fashioned hard work." "Matt is the sixth wrestler in New York history to gain this elite group of athletes. It is truly an honor, as well as a tribute to Matt's work ethic and desire, to not only to be a great wrestler but an outstanding individual as well."

Matt has not only made a name for himself, but for our school and community as well. His name along with his hometown of Franklin Square and H. Frank Carey High School have appeared in numerous wrestling publications in communities where wrestling thrives around the country. At this point in his career, Matt has stamped himself as the greatest wrestler in Carey history. The scary part about the whole thing is that Matt is only a junior!

So, what's left for him? When Matt was asked about how he would fare against the world's best wrestlers, Matt seemed very focused. "I've gotten this far by working as hard as I know how, which I plan to do throughout the summer," he answered. "Imagine that I'll have a chance to be a world champion! I guess that would be pretty cool!"

Yes, Matt, very cool!