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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Rex Holman added to this discussion on February 19, 2019
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I had the opportunity to attend a JamesCare for Life event this past weekend at the Blackwell Center (OSU hotel). The program was entitled Building Resiliency in Children and Teens Affected by Cancer. We were invited as the result of my wife’s two year ordeal with breast cancer. She is free of cancer but it leaves literal and figurative scars. JameCare offers their education series as part of the healing process.
My kids have heard me talk about Kyle and know that I admire his qualities. He is a great person that embodies what an elite athlete should be or at least what I think should be.
Kyle shared about himself and some of the ideas and moments that are important to him and they are important and worth repeating.
The crux of his talk is that he lost twice on wrestling’s biggest stage, NCAAs and World Championships both by pin. When he lost the first time at the NCAAs, it initially had a negative impact on him and reacted as we all do when we take a loss too hard. We dwell on it and it takes front seat in our mind as we give it access to our energy. He worked through it as his parents recognized that he wasn’t his usual talkative self and it took a little time to return to baseline. His recovery and ascension was quick enough to beat Jake Varner one month later in the finals of the National Open.
Bear in mind, Kyle’s time interval is different than the rest of us. He is a true outlier. I gained insight into his adaptability in talking with Tervel at an event this past Fall. I asked him what made Kyle different in terms of coachability. Tervel offered that he is the “one†that can be told what to do and make an almost immediate change to his wrestling. This means he scores off the chart in adaptability.
As we know the second loss came via Sadulaev in this past World Championships, he shared that despite having intense feelings immediately after the loss, he recovered mentally by the time of the awards ceremony and was back to his usual self. That is the definition of resilience in wrestling or again what it should be. Stated a different way, the ability to resume normalcy after a seemingly traumatic event.
The other focus of his talk was on two principles by which he lives his life and what allows him to keep grounded and maintain perspective in those circumstances. 1.) God is Love and 2.) God is Sovereign. I believe this is the culture to which Tom Ryan is responsible for instilling at OSU. When I reflect upon the principles, it allows for the strongest and most resilient of mindsets.
When you take on these principles and make them central to your life, your worries have less power and become fewer. Your relationship with God comes before other relationships. In effect, God is the father/ mother figure which is always there for you and to accept you. So whatever life gave you is secondary to that relationship. If that relationship is in harmony, then everything else is acceptable, even getting pinned in the World Championship finals.
Also (by logic), if God has power over all things, the eventuality to which you arrive is part of the plan. Trust is a must in any relationship. If your relationship with God is primary, then you trust in his plan. There is a great deal of inner peace when arriving at this conclusion.
A Q&A ensued afterwards. I could have asked twenty questions irrelevant to anyone else there (sorry dotnet for not doing so). However, I simply asked how long he wanted to compete for and whether coaching was in his future. His answer was that he is going to compete in wrestling for as long as he can. He stated where the next three Olympiads were and he is eyeing up LA 2028 and beyond.
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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on February 19, 2019
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Quote from Rex Holman's post:
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"...
A Q&A ensued afterwards. I could have asked twenty questions irrelevant to anyone else there (sorry dotnet for not doing so). ..."
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Hey, Rex - I think I speak for all the DotNet on this one...we're going to give you a pass here. We do appreciate your post.
I have had a few interactions with Kyle and I have found that he has almost distanced himself from success or failure. He takes either as a part of the game. He refuses to let those successes or failures define who he is.
If I can find the interview, he says such to the question, "Often times champions are defined by an outcome. How do you think this loss (pinned by Sadulaev) will define you?" His answer was so quick and authentic. To paraphrase, "Wrestling - along with its wins and losses - doesn't define me."
Tom Ryan stated that he is a master at being "Landlord of his mind". He does not allow negativity to dwell. As the old saying goes, birds may fly through, but we can't let them nest. And he's mastered it.
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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Hank Kornblut added to this discussion on February 19, 2019
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"Landlord of his mind." I like that.
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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on February 19, 2019
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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Justin Hayes added to this discussion on February 19, 2019
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Quote from Rex Holman's post:
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"The other focus of his talk was on two principles by which he lives his life and what allows him to keep grounded and maintain perspective in those circumstances. 1.) God is Love and 2.) God is Sovereign. I believe this is the culture to which Tom Ryan is responsible for instilling at OSU. When I reflect upon the principles, it allows for the strongest and most resilient of mindsets.
When you take on these principles and make them central to your life, your worries have less power and become fewer. Your relationship with God comes before other relationships. In effect, God is the father/ mother figure which is always there for you and to accept you. So whatever life gave you is secondary to that relationship. If that relationship is in harmony, then everything else is acceptable, even getting pinned in the World Championship finals.
Also (by logic), if God has power over all things, the eventuality to which you arrive is part of the plan. Trust is a must in any relationship. If your relationship with God is primary, then you trust in his plan. There is a great deal of inner peace when arriving at this conclusion."
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Fantastic; thank you for sharing.
Attributes of love and sovereignty are demonstratable, in time and space, with real, tangible consequences and effect.
Christians of the KS variety don’t believe that God is both love/loving and sovereign by principle alone.
We contend it an intellectually reasonable belief that God has demonstrated love and sovereignty reliably and personally on our behalf by entering our world, historically and tangibly, to teach truth and impart grace, then change perspective, followed by behavior, in a way that reflects well on Him and benefits us.
By sound definition, faith is neither “Jesus Campy†or “Allah Wills Itishâ€; faith has to have an object of that faith.
There is orders of magnitude more historical documentation about the life and contentions of Jesus Christ than say, Alexander the Great.
Jesus adamantly asserted He is God in the flesh of man and freely accepted worship as such. The person who is honestly willing to consider His claims can only come away concluding He is a liar, a lunatic, or LORD.
I triple dog dare anyone to ask KS if he believes that Jesus is love, as well as ultimately sovereign over all things; I am confident he will not hesitate to state that he believes so and it is the primary driver in his life.
If KS becomes paralyzed tomorrow, while a brutal lot in life with lots of work throughs, he will abide in the same peace he has now not because he is KS All World Wrestling Champion, but because (as you articulated) he is in right relationship to and with God in the flesh, Jesus of Nazareth.
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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Bob Preusse added to this discussion on February 19, 2019
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very interesting - Trust - can be defined different ways. ...i have a friend who was once Chief of Scouting for a Major League Baseball team, in fact he signed several eventual Hall of Famers as rookies.
He has told me he devised a psychological profile for rookies. He tested them before they were signed then tabulated scores for the most prevalent traits of the most successful players.
He found the 3 most important "mind" traits were:
1 Mental Toughness
2 Emotional Control
3 TRUST
Now this is a Team sport vs wrestling an Individual sport. But perhaps "mind" challenges remain the same? Perhaps its true of all sports?
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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on February 19, 2019
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Quote from Justin Hayes's post:
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"...
I triple dog dare anyone to ask KS if he believes that Jesus is love, as well as ultimately sovereign over all things; I am confident he will not hesitate to state that he believes so and it is the primary driver in his life.
..."
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Dangerously close to triple stamping a double stamp, my friend. Touch blue make it true!
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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Bill Splete added to this discussion on February 19, 2019
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This is not an ass kissing post, it's a genuine respectful acknowledgment of how lucky we are to have Rex's contributions, your assessments of the mind and physical prep i use daily, it has to be years since i read that post. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and information, it helps us, our families and the kids we mentor. It has an impact. Great stuff!
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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Jim Behrens added to this discussion on February 19, 2019
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Quote from Bill Splete's post:
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"This is not an ass kissing post, it's a genuine respectful acknowledgment of how lucky we are to have Rex's contributions, your assessments of the mind and physical prep i use daily, it has to be years since i read that post. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and information, it helps us, our families and the kids we mentor. It has an impact. Great stuff!"
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"mentor"??
I see what you did there.
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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on February 19, 2019
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Quote from Jim Behrens's post:
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"
"mentor"??
I see what you did there."
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Nice! Well done, Jim.
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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Justin Hayes added to this discussion on February 19, 2019
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Quote from Bill Splete's post:
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"This is not an ass kissing post, it's a genuine respectful acknowledgment of how lucky we are to have Rex's contributions, your assessments of the mind and physical prep i use daily, it has to be years since i read that post. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and information, it helps us, our families and the kids we mentor. It has an impact. Great stuff!"
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I agree.
Plus Rex posts more as we approach the NCAAs each season; just makes it a good time of the year!
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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Rex Holman added to this discussion on February 20, 2019
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Mark-
Thank you for posting that video. It is a testament to the way he thinks. I think it could be used to teach young wrestlers and give insight on how to act.
Justin-
He is the type of Christian of which I admire. I have a friend, Johnny Curtis, with whom I wrestled numerous times. He is one those guys as well. They possess that mindset which is underwritten by their relationship with a higher power.
Hank-
I hadn't heard the expression of renting out space in your head until 2016; however it is a perfect analogy to thoughts and feelings that squat in people's head.
Bob-
It would be interesting to know how he tested those traits; I suspect that it was some things he saw as well as things that would be revealed in conversation. Metrics, black boxes, and data analysis have come a long way.
Bill-
Thanks Brother!
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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Rex Holman added to this discussion on February 6, 2023
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After rereading the above, it takes a special mindset to develop steadfast resilience. I believe that emotional maturity, embracing a divine plan and problem-solving mentality are part of the equation. This allows oneself to develop the type of resilience to overcome just about any challenge that life throws at you.
Paddy wrestling a tough smart match against Chumbley after losing so many close matches and one not so close is an act of resilience. That was great and thank you.
Wrestling is a constant test of resilience.
It's easy when you are winning. Everyone likes you and the emotions are much easier. Losing can be really lonely and isolating. (When embracing an old school punitive approach).
However, I think we might be moving towards a more productive coaching paradigm. The phrase, Either I win or learn is getting repeated a lot and is a much healthier interpretation of loss.
Today's concept of loss is moving towards problem-solving.
Totally different things.
Kaleb Romero dislocated two fingers during PSU match. I did this my sophomore year at ASU. Just before NCAAs. Index and Middle got caught in collar of a shirt. Kind of really sucks. Affects grip strength and pain distraction. Tough to heal when everyone is grabbing fingers at some point during practice and match.
This sport is hard enough as it is, let alone with the kind of injuries that distract and further test resilience.
Anyway, kudos to all these guys stepping up, training, competing and giving everything of themselves to be their best.
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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Mark Niemann added to this discussion on February 6, 2023
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Thanks for bringing back an old post. I love these trips down memory lane.
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Discussion Topic: Kyle Snyder on Resilience
Justin Hayes added to this discussion on February 6, 2023
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Providential you resurrected this post. I've been persevering through several difficult life trials and I keep coming back to the fact that God foundationally built any resilience (I've even been using that specific word) I have in the wrestling room...
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