Olympic wrestler visits local school

WAYNESBORO — Dream big, sacrifice all, and enjoy the victory that follows. This is the motto that Henry Cejudo lives by and this is the message that he left with the area wrestlers and coaches who attended his clinic on Saturday at Kate Collins Middle School to benefit the Waynesboro High School wrestling team.

Cejudo, who won the Olympic freestyle-wrestling gold medal in Beijing in 2008, came at the invitation of head Waynesboro wrestling coach Rick Palmer and spent the day giving valuable instruction that will go a long way in making those young athletes more successful on and more importantly off the wrestling mat.

Coach Palmer wrestled in college with Cejudo’s promoter Frankie Sanchez, and was thrilled to be able to book the current Olympic champion in Waynesboro.

“Henry is the absolute best in the world and were very fortunate to get him here today,” Palmer said.” “He is an amazing guy with an incredible story to share.”

The son of Mexican immigrants, Cejudo and his six siblings were raised by their single mother who taught them the same lessons that he tries to impart to others today.

“I have a great mother who struggled her way through life, working two jobs to support all of us,” Cejudo said. “She is a real tough lady who taught us that with hard work you can accomplish anything.”

Those principles of desire, dedication, and hard work were repeated often and the belief that you can accomplish whatever you set out to do was not lost on those in attendance.

“I learned today that no matter where you come from, if you work hard enough you can accomplish your dreams,” Cesar Avina said. The junior at Waynesboro left feeling motivated and inspired. “I know that I can accomplish anything if I set my mind to it and never give up.”

Jonathan Phuong, an eleventh grader at Wilson Memorial was equally moved. “I know that with hard work and dedication anything is possible.”

While Cejudo did spend the majority of his time on technique and the fundamentals of the sport he made sure that everyone knew what things are really important in life.

“Wrestling has done a lot for me, but this gold medal will fade,” Cejudo said. “I want to further my education and inspire others; I want to do things that will last.”

There are some opportunities that only come by once and on Saturday those at Henry Cejudo’s clinic were fortunate to hear firsthand how the “American Dream” still exists.

“I really feel that this will be a life-changing experience for some of these kids today, especially after hearing his story,” Palmer said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and he is sending a great message that you can achieve whatever you want.”

Wilson Memorial wrestling coach Steve Gieman found Cejudo’s message refreshing. “This kids need to hear that nothing comes easy. You have to put in hard work to achieve your goals,” Gieman said. “There is no substitute for that and Henry is a great example of what hard work can accomplish.”