I never won anything by myself. I was always strong because of help that gave me extra strength to win.

The obvious goals were there- State Champion, NCAA Champion, Olympic Champion. To get there I had to set an everyday goal which was to push myself to exhaustion or, in other words, to work so hard in practice that someone would have to carry me off the mat.

My advice to young wrestlers is that your surroundings really make a difference. You want to put yourself in good, positive surroundings.

Greatness in the mat is achieved through training that make you push to survive.

When I lifted weights, I didn't lift just to maintain my muscle tone. I lifted to increase what I already had, to push to a new limit. Every time I worked, I was getting a little better. I kept moving that limit back and back. Every time I walked out of the gym, I was a little better than when I walked in.

More endearingly than any other sport, wrestling teaches self control and pride.

I shoot, I score. He shoots, I score.