As the winter sports season warms up and many student athletes at CHS prepare for the coming meets, matches and games ahead, one student stands out from the crowd. Senior Caleb Grady.
Grady is a three sport athlete who leads by example. Not only does he exude commitment and focus, but his attendance at practices and matches is unparalleled during his many soccer, wrestling, and track seasons, as well as one cross country season this past fall.
Cross country coach Kurtis Werner highlighted the positive influences Grady had on the cross country team this past fall season.
“During every workout Caleb never let negative thoughts derail his running, which made him a better runner and solid contributor at every meet,†Werner said. “Caleb was a standard — which means you knew what you were going to get out of him every time he set out to run; his leadership and work ethic will be missed next year.â€
Werner was not Grady’s only coach to laud the young athlete; wrestling coach Doug Verby provided praise and powerful numbers to boot.
“Since his freshman year Caleb has been one of our best wrestlers, one of out hardest workers, and one of our best leaders,†Verby said. “During practice he is a fast learner and hard worker. Outside of the wrestling room he’s an excellent student and a three sport athlete.â€
Grady’s numbers are telling. He now sports a 67-51 winning record — two seasons with a record above .600 — and multiple medals for championing four distinct wrestling tournaments. And that’s before his senior season has even begun.
Despite the numbers and praise Grady has accumulated through years of hard work and success, don’t be fooled. One might suspect such a stellar athlete to boast, let alone share, his tenured success with others, but Grady is humble and soft spoken. He attributes his high school accomplishments to his coaches’ excellent teachings and his personal hard work, and he seeks only to encourage his team mates.
“Freshman year I didn’t complain, I worked hard on my own, and then would go in and win matches,†Grady said.
He chuckled when asked if he was a vocal leader on the team during freshman year.
“That year I was quiet and the coaches would try to get me to be angry to pump me up,†Grady said. “I wasn’t as much of a leader that year as I was junior year.â€
Grady also explained how he has consciously worked to better the team as a whole.
“[Freshman year] I led by example and hoped people would notice,†Grady said. “Now I’ll make sure people are working in the wrestling room. I’m being more assertive on the mat and I take more of a leadership role.â€
As a final word to those of all sport disciplines, and especially wrestling, Grady offered advice.
“You have to know that it’s going to be hard and that it’s going to be painful,†Grady said. “You have to be willing to work that much harder to get where you want to be.â€
Look for Grady on the mats in the coming months. The statistics and word on the street add up to one conclusion: he’ll likely be the man on top.