| Father and Stepson live and breathe Greco-Roman Wrestling |
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| Written by Ronnie Sigmon -- Top Prospects Editor | |
| Friday, 23 June 2006 | |
 For the past 12 years Scott Swain has been a national team coach for NCUSA wrestling. During that time his stepson Cameron has been a constant companion at the tournaments he has coached. The exposure Cameron has gotten from attending and participating in these tournaments have elevated him to one of North Carolina's elite wrestlers this year. Last summer, these two achieved one of their major goals when Scott coached Cameron to a 6th place finish and All-American honors in the Junior Greco National Championships at Fargo, North Dakota. When it comes to wrestling, Scott and Cameron live and breathe Greco - Roman wrestling. Read on to see the special relationship this father and son / coach and wrestler have forged in search of a common dream: wrestling Greco in the Olympics. Q - RS: Scott, How long have you been a national team coach for NCUSA? A - SS: I have been coaching the national team about twelve years now. Q - RS: When did you first start coaching Cameron? A - SS: I was helping coach at East Rowan back in 1995. Cameron would come to the matches and watch. He liked watching, and as soon as the high school season was over, he started wrestling in the kid's freestyle and Greco matches that spring. Q - RS: Cameron, what got you interested in wrestling? A - CD: I enjoyed watching the high school guys wrestle, so when freestyle season came around in the spring, I jumped at my chance to start wrestling. Q - RS: Do you play other sports? A - CD: When I was little, I played baseball and football. After the 4th grade, I gave it all up and just wrestled. Q - RS: What style of wrestling do you like the most and why? A - CD: Definitely, it would be Greco. As a little kid, I would watch Scott wrestle Greco in some of the tournaments we went to. I enjoyed watching him, and we always talked strategy about Greco wrestling when we were together. I guess I just picked it up from him. Q - RS: Scott, what is it about Greco that intrigues you and Cameron so much? A - SS: Greco is the Thinking Man's style of wrestling. In Greco, you have to really learn good technique to achieve success, and strategy is very important. Greco is a very mental and tactical style of wrestling. Cameron and I have always liked this style of wrestling above all of the others. Q - RS: Cameron, other than wrestling what other activities do you enjoy? A - CD: I like wood working and all kinds of outdoors activities. Q - RS: Are you in any clubs at school or do you do any type of community service? A - CD: I am in the VICA Club at Albemarle High School. Q - RS: Who are your biggest supporter in wrestling and who deserves the credit for making you the wrestler you are today? A - CD: It is Scott. I would not be wrestling if it were not for him. He has taken me to so many tournaments and camps over the years. Q - RS: What are your short term and long term goals in wrestling? A - CD: I want to be the Greco national champ at Fargo this year. In high school, I would like to get over 200 wins in my career, and win another state championship. After high school, I hope to get accepted to the USOEC program at Northern Michigan and then, make the Olympic team in Greco some day. Q - RS: Scott, would you explain what the USOEC program is? A - SS: It is the United States Olympic Education at Northern Michigan, sponsored by the US Olympic Training Center. They have Greco wrestlers, women's freestyle wrestlers, and boxers going to college there and training for international and Olympic type events. Q - RS: Cameron, what have you been doing to achieve your goals? A - CD: I have been running, lifting, and practicing all spring and summer. I am at the UNC Pembroke Developmental camp, and I plan on going to the Olympic Training Center in July for training. Q - RS: How many times have you been to the Developmental camp? A - CD: I have been here the last seven years. It is a great camp with good coaches and wrestlers working to get better. Q - RS: What are your GPA and your SAT score? A - CD: My GPA is 3.0 and I have not taken the SAT yet. Q - RS: What are your accomplishments in wrestling? A - CD: I am a two-time state placer. I won a state championship last season. Last summer, I was a Greco All-American placing 6th at Fargo. Q - RS: Who are some of the schools that have sent you recruitment letters? A - CD: West Point, Duke, and UNC Pembroke. Q - RS: What is you best move in wrestling? A - CD: The straight lift in Greco. Q - RS: What is your most memorable wrestling match? A - CD: The match where I made All-American in Fargo last season. Q - RS: Good luck again this summer. A - CD: Thanks, coach. |
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