Kurt Angle is arguably the greatest pure athlete to ever compete inside the squared circle. As he approaches the end of his career, he’ll leave behind a legacy and body […]
Kurt Angle is arguably the greatest pure athlete to ever compete inside the squared circle. As he approaches the end of his career, he’ll leave behind a legacy and body of work that will captivate wrestling fans for generations to come. His matches are embodied with excellence, dedication, commitment, craftsmanship, integrity, and triumph. Without question, Kurt Angle will be highly regarded as one of the greatest of all-time, sharing company with the likes of Ric Flair, Ricky Steamboat, Curt Hennig, Bret Hart, and Shawn Michaels.
Outside of the ring, Angle encountered his share of complications through bouts with his personal demons. Whether it was a public divorce, DUIs, rehab, or what have you – Kurt Angle maintained his headstrong focus to redeem and rebound his personal life and professional career. Each and every time life tried to count him out, Angle proved the world wrong, and came back stronger and better than ever.
Angle has won numerous championships around the globe, but it’s his heart of a champion that no challenger can ever take from him. Some athletes get lost in the reality of living their dream, and they forget about their responsibility to encourage young talent into believing that their dreams are also attainable with hard work and dedication. For as much as he has given on the mat, Kurt Angle has given just as much off of it. His commitment to America’s youth was documented at an MMA Expo in Atlantic City in 2010, where he sponsored the “Kurt Angle: Ultimate Teen Challenge“.
The event was designed to get today’s youth more active in sports and physical conditioning. Local teens enlisted in an opportunity to learn about strength training and fitness while competing against each other in olympic style events under the watchful eye and tutelage of Angle himself. In a brief conversation with Kurt, he said something that struck a cord with me: “Nobody ever makes it to the NFL, NBA or WWE, by being an all-star on Xbox.”
I have an eleven year old son, who is an absolute video game addict. Today’s technology almost compares to the kind of things us “elders” only dreamed of when seeing films like Star Wars or Back To The Future. I may not have a car that flies like in The Jetsons, but the technological advances that I have available at my finger-tips in 2016 is enough for me to feel more like James Bond. Yet, all this great technology seems to be weakening the children of the world. They’ve become complacent and lazy, because everything is so easily and readily available without any effort.
Kurt Angle’s event challenged today’s youth to put down the video game controllers and smartphones; it helped open their eyes and introduced them to their own inner potential; and most of all, it motivated them to pave a path off of their sofas and into the real world filled with competitive sharks, all striving to for the same limited opportunities. Kurt Angle was physically and mentally preparing the youth for the stiff reality that awaits them in the future.
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Angle is such a cool dude.