John
09-26-2009, 06:26 PM
ask Larry Tremblay About Kofi Sarkodie-mensah, And The Longtime Winchester High Wrestling Coach Will Talk Your Ear Off About A Former Sachem Wrestler Who Exemplifies Humility, Athleticism, And Drive.
But In The World Of Professional Wrestling, Sarkodie-mensah Is World Wrestling Entertainment’s Kofi Kingston - A High-flying, Energizing, And Electrifying Performer From Jamaica Whose Star Status And International Fame Is On A Meteoric Rise, Extending Far Beyond The Trophy-laden Walls Of Winchester’s Gym.
Sarkodie-mensah, 28, Spent The Majority Of His Childhood In “the Pits’’ Of Winchester, A Place He Insists “wasn’t Your Typical, Affluent Winchester.’’ Like Many Kids Growing Up In The Late ’80s, Sarkodie-mensah Was A Dedicated Pro Wrestling Fan, But When It Came Time For High School Athletics, He Couldn’t Keep Himself Off The Basketball Court.
“the Problem Was, I Just Had Such Small Hands,’’ Said Sarkodie-mensah, Who Idolized Larry Bird. “i Could Blow By Anyone On The Court, But I Had No Handle. No Jump Shot.’’
With Basketball Out Of The Equation, Sarkodie-mensah Tried Wrestling. As A Freshman, He Wrestled At 103 Pounds, Though He Claims He Was Closer To 95.
“he Came Out For The Team And He Was A Natural,’’ Said Tremblay, Who Remains Close Friends With Sarkodie-mensah. “he Was Very Good On His Feet And Very Good On Top. His Quickness Was A Real Big Asset. He Could Hit Moves So Quick And Had Outstanding Explosiveness.’’
Indeed, Sarkodie-mensah Was So Explosive He Broke An Opponent’s Leg In The 1998 State Semifinals.
“i Was Undefeated That Year,’’ Recalled Former Somerset Wrestler Tom Mello, Sarkodie-mensah’s Childhood Friend. “we Were Wrestling At 125. I Was Winning, 6-2 Or Something, And He Hit An Arm Drag, Took His Lanky Legs, And Cracked My Fibula.’’
More Than A Decade Later, Mello Holds No Ill Will.
“kofi Is One Of The Most Kindhearted People I’ve Ever Met, Constantly Smiling,’’ He Said. “of Course, I Trained For The Whole Year Just Thinking About Him, And When I Faced Him The Finals The Next Year, He Hit That Same Move On Me Within The First 10 Seconds. But I Killed Him That Match. It Was Murder.’’
Still, Sarkodie-mensah’s High School Success Was Resounding. He Was The School’s First Four-time Iron Man, Never Missing A Practice Or Match In His Career.
“i Was Pretty Good Naturally, But I Had To Work Very Hard,’’ Said Sarkodie-mensah. “i Felt That If I Missed A Practice, The Next Guy Would Be Up On My Coattails. I Always Imagined My Competition Training, And If I Wasn’t, Then I Was Getting Worse.’’
He Was A Three-time Middlesex League Finalist, Two-time League Champion, Sectional Champion, State Runner-up, And In His Senior Year He Finished Fourth In The State Meet.
“he Was A Great Competitor,’’ Said Tremblay, Owner Of 512 Wins Over His 29-year Career. “he’s One Of The Best I’ve Ever Had.’’
Pwi
But In The World Of Professional Wrestling, Sarkodie-mensah Is World Wrestling Entertainment’s Kofi Kingston - A High-flying, Energizing, And Electrifying Performer From Jamaica Whose Star Status And International Fame Is On A Meteoric Rise, Extending Far Beyond The Trophy-laden Walls Of Winchester’s Gym.
Sarkodie-mensah, 28, Spent The Majority Of His Childhood In “the Pits’’ Of Winchester, A Place He Insists “wasn’t Your Typical, Affluent Winchester.’’ Like Many Kids Growing Up In The Late ’80s, Sarkodie-mensah Was A Dedicated Pro Wrestling Fan, But When It Came Time For High School Athletics, He Couldn’t Keep Himself Off The Basketball Court.
“the Problem Was, I Just Had Such Small Hands,’’ Said Sarkodie-mensah, Who Idolized Larry Bird. “i Could Blow By Anyone On The Court, But I Had No Handle. No Jump Shot.’’
With Basketball Out Of The Equation, Sarkodie-mensah Tried Wrestling. As A Freshman, He Wrestled At 103 Pounds, Though He Claims He Was Closer To 95.
“he Came Out For The Team And He Was A Natural,’’ Said Tremblay, Who Remains Close Friends With Sarkodie-mensah. “he Was Very Good On His Feet And Very Good On Top. His Quickness Was A Real Big Asset. He Could Hit Moves So Quick And Had Outstanding Explosiveness.’’
Indeed, Sarkodie-mensah Was So Explosive He Broke An Opponent’s Leg In The 1998 State Semifinals.
“i Was Undefeated That Year,’’ Recalled Former Somerset Wrestler Tom Mello, Sarkodie-mensah’s Childhood Friend. “we Were Wrestling At 125. I Was Winning, 6-2 Or Something, And He Hit An Arm Drag, Took His Lanky Legs, And Cracked My Fibula.’’
More Than A Decade Later, Mello Holds No Ill Will.
“kofi Is One Of The Most Kindhearted People I’ve Ever Met, Constantly Smiling,’’ He Said. “of Course, I Trained For The Whole Year Just Thinking About Him, And When I Faced Him The Finals The Next Year, He Hit That Same Move On Me Within The First 10 Seconds. But I Killed Him That Match. It Was Murder.’’
Still, Sarkodie-mensah’s High School Success Was Resounding. He Was The School’s First Four-time Iron Man, Never Missing A Practice Or Match In His Career.
“i Was Pretty Good Naturally, But I Had To Work Very Hard,’’ Said Sarkodie-mensah. “i Felt That If I Missed A Practice, The Next Guy Would Be Up On My Coattails. I Always Imagined My Competition Training, And If I Wasn’t, Then I Was Getting Worse.’’
He Was A Three-time Middlesex League Finalist, Two-time League Champion, Sectional Champion, State Runner-up, And In His Senior Year He Finished Fourth In The State Meet.
“he Was A Great Competitor,’’ Said Tremblay, Owner Of 512 Wins Over His 29-year Career. “he’s One Of The Best I’ve Ever Had.’’
Pwi