| - The Brothers Goodwin - |
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| Written by Ronnie Sigmon -- Top Prospects Editor |
| Monday, 21 August 2006 17:00 |
 Two Dedicated Wrestlers Working Hard To Achieve Their Goals! Something happened at the North Carolina State wrestling tournament last February that does not happen often. The Goodwin family, from Belmont, was very happy and proud after it did though. Phillip and John Goodwin, both juniors at the time, won state championships. It started with Phillip winning the 130lb weight class with a 14-4 major decision over senior Kyle White of West Carteret. Watching his little brother win a state championship was all of the "wrestling fuel" John needed in his finals match at 171lbs. Six matches after brother Phillip won his state championship, John did too. He finished his match early by pinning junior Cody Walton of Rockingham County at 1:13 of the first period. Only a couple of times in the last decade have brothers won state championships together in the same tournament. This feat propelled South Point to their best ever finishes in the state tournament where they placed 7th in the 3A division. This did not just happen by chance; both brothers are very dedicated wrestlers that wrestle extensively in the off season. Maybe other wrestlers would sit back and relax after accomplishing such a feat, but not the Goodwins! Almost as soon as the state tournament was over, the brothers were traveling around wrestling at off season tournaments. These two did not just go to regular tournaments in our state, they traveled nation-wide, searching for competition that would help push them to the next level. One week they would be at the USA Southeast Regional in Florida, and the next weekend they would travel to Indiana for the Central Regional. They also participated in the West Regional in Las Vegas, The East Coast Duals in Virginia, The Junior Duals in Oklahoma and the National Championship in Fargo, ND. Below is an interesting interview with these two very dedicated wrestlers. Q – RS: When did you two guys start wrestling? A – JG: I started wrestling in AAU when I was four years old. A – PG: John is a little more than a year older than me. I was three when we started wrestling AAU folkstyle. We started wrestling freestyle and greco when we were in the ninth grade. Q – RS: What got you started in wrestling? A – JG: Our dad started taking us to tournaments. He thought it would be good for us to do. Q – RS: Who do you give credit to for helping you be the wrestlers you have become? A – JG: Dad, of course. He is our biggest supporter. Our high school coach, Carl Miller, and our club coach, Scott Goins. We also had a lot of help from Jonathon Crouthers of the AAU Pit Bull Club in Charlotte. A – PG: For me, it is the same as John, but I would like to add you and Coach Bullins. You two have helped coach me at a lot of camps and tournaments I have went to. Q – RS: What is your most memorable match you have had in your wrestling career so far? A – JG: With me, it was wrestling three-time state champion Jesse Creed in the quarter-finals of the state tournament in 2005. I saw that I could wrestle with the best, and I could be one of the state’s best if I continued to work hard. A – PG: Mine would be the quarter-finals of the state tournament in 2005. I was losing by eight points, but I came back and won the match. I think that was the turning point of my wrestling career. Q – RS: What do you think is your best wrestling move? A – PG: My tilt. A – JG: I think, for me, it is my lateral drop. Q – RS: Who is the wrestler that you admire the most and why? A – PG: Mo Lawal. I think he has a great personality, and he is a great wrestler. A – JG: I really like Rulan Gardner. He really impressed me the way he came back from nearly dying in a snow storm to winning a bronze medal in the next Olympics. Q – RS: Do you play any other sports? A – JG: I play football and take Ju-Jitsu. A – PG: I played football for eight years, but I stopped playing in the 10th grade so I could concentrate on wrestling. Q – RS: How has your college recruiting been going? Have you talked to any schools about wrestling for them in 2007? A – JG: I am open about where I will go to college. I have talked to Belmont-Abby, Gardner-Webb and UNC Pembroke. A – PG: I am unsure where I want to go, but I have talked with VMI. Q – RS: What clubs and activities at school are you involved in? A – JG: I am in FCA at school. A – PG: I am in FCA too. I am the FCA leader at our school. Q – RS: What are your GPA and SAT scores? A – JG: I have a 2.75 GPA and I have not taken the SAT yet. A – PG: My GPA is about a 3.0 We are going to take the SAT this fall. Q – RS: What are your short term goals in wrestling? A – JG: I want to repeat as a state champion, get into a good college and wrestle there. A – PG: Basically the same as John said. I would also like to do well at senior nationals, and Fargo next year, too. Q – RS: What have you been doing to achieve these goals? A – JG: We have wrestled a lot this past spring and summer. We have competed in three USA regional tournaments, the East Coast Duals, the Junior Duals, and Fargo. A – PG: We also went to the UNC Pembroke and the Ken Chertow camp last spring. I think the tough schedule of wrestling we have done will help us for our senior season in high school. RS: Thanks for the interview guys. Good luck in wrestling for your senior season. PG/JG: Thanks coach! |
