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Steve Elicker Interview
by Don Lehman
WRESTLING
Mark Bowersox
A FOREWORD...by
Mark Bowersox
by
former South Western Head Coach, Mark Bowersox:
"Steve Elicker
wrestled in the South Western
program from 7th grade through 12th grade
and graduated in the class of 1989. Steve, along with co-captain
Frank Lecrone, led the SW
"Mustangs" to their first Y.C.I.A.A. Championship in the school's
history! As a wrestling coach,
I learned about the importance of peer team leadership and how it
affects the standards of
excellence in the underclassmen from Frank and Steve. Besides his
leadership abilities, Steve
was a true competitor and student of the sport and "art" of wrestling.
He was never satisfied with
anything less than excellence in the wrestling room. He trained,
drilled and scrimmaged with the
same intensity he displayed in his matches. Steve was a multiple
Y.C.I.A.A. Sectional Champion,
2-time District III SC Champion and placed 4th at the 1989 PIAA State
Championships @ 160lbs.
I consider Steve Elicker to be amongst the best "all around" wrestlers
I've ever coached."
∙ sent by Mark Bowersox, Global Perspectives Teacher - Emory H.
Markle Intermediate School.
Gary Kessel...TheMat.com photo by Larry Slater
▪
2009 NCAA DI Wrestling Championship 197lb. Finals...above
photo.
ESSC/ESU '77 Alumnus & NCAA Official -
Gary Kessel (right
- raises Iowa State's Jake Varner's
hand).
A FOREWORD...by
Gary Kessel ESU '77
by former East Stroudsburg University Asst. Coach, Gary Kessel:
(Gary Kessel - is a NCAA Wrestling Official, a former 2-time PSAC
Champion, an EIWA Champion,
and a runner-up @ the 1975 NCAA DII's.) Gary sent this
message as he was in a break at the
2012 NCAA DIII's in La Crosse, Wisconsin... and will officiate at the 2012 DI's in St.
Louis, MO.
"Don, I remember
when you brought Steve up to East Stroudsburg University in 1989 for
a visit, and Steve put on his practice gear and rolled around with us.
Steve caught me in a cradle
and put me on my back... that's when I knew he was going to be
good and it caught my attention!
I knew Steve was going to be special and was thrilled he was going to
wrestle for us at ESU.
What I remember most about Steve after his enrollment at ESU, was what a
hard-worker
he
was, and also, what a great person he was. Steve was a
low-key type of person and led by example.
Steve was again, a hard worker... and one of the better captains we have
had here at ESU!"
∙ sent by
Gary Kessel ESSC/ESU '77 -
co-owner
of GAK
Construction, East Stroudsburg, PA.
∙ 2011 - Steve Elicker with his mom...
Bonnie.
∙
Steve
Elicker...
graduated from
South Western High School in 1989... and East Stroudsburg
University in 1994.
∙
Steve Elicker is President of SRE Building
Associates in Vail, Colorado.
SRE Website -
(970) 376-1536
∙ 2011 -
Steve Elicker with wife, Shannon.
The Steve Elicker Interview...
by Don Lehman
∙ Don Lehman
Webmaster, Archivist & Owner of westyorkwrestlingalumni.com
▪
"DL"
- Interviewer Don Lehman
with...
"SE"
- Steve Elicker.
DL
- Thanks, Steve... for agreeing to do an interview with me! First,
how are things in Colorado and how is
your business doing? And... congratulations on your marriage to
Shannon!
SE
-
Thank you for having me. Things are great in Colorado! I moved to
Vail, Colorado in the fall of 1994 following my graduation from ESU. My
plan was to move to Colorado for a year to ski and then move back
to York County & pursue a career in teaching and coaching. I
didn’t think I would like it as much as I did
and here I am - 18 years later. I did the ski bum thing for 4
years before starting my construction business
in '98, after working construction in the summers since I was 15. I
have been steadily growing my company since and we just had our 2 best
years in 2010 and 2011. Socially, I was enjoying my bachelor life until
this beautiful woman from Denver popped into my
life. That was 4 years ago and we have been enjoying our life
together in Vail ever since! We
are expecting our first child in July. A boy, that we have
decided to name Clay... in honor of my grandfather who was a big
wrestling fan.
"Colorado"
- STEPHEN STILLS
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DL
- When did you start wrestling... and, why did you choose the sport?
Who were your early mentors
and influences when you started the sport of wrestling?
SE
-
I didn’t start my wrestling career as early as many of my South Western
teammates. In fact, with the urging of my Mom, I joined our YMCA
program in the 4th grade and wrestled for a year before moving on to
play basketball for 2 years. I then decided to get back into wrestling
my 7th grade year. Basketball just wasn’t my thing... and I needed
more of a challenge.
To be honest, my Mom was the biggest influence in those early
years.
Without her, I may be a retired NBA star. I think you and Ron had a big
part in her decision to start me in wrestling. After I got the start...
I remember you being a person I always looked up to in the sport. You
were always involved in some degree throughout my career. Thanks Mom
and Don!
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DL
- I know you always talked about football being a huge part of
your days at South Western. What did
the sport of football mean to you, and... how did you fit football into
your schedule while training
for wrestling?
SE
-
I loved to play football for the Mustangs!
It was really a great process to start in elementary football wearing my
Baresville Jersey, with pride, to the Friday night high school games
and then coming full circle to play under the lights in front of the
fans and all those SW Mustang prodigies.
For right or wrong, I separated the seasons and enjoyed each while in
the moment. This is why I almost didn’t go out for football my senior
season. After winning the Regional title my junior year and stepping on
the floor at Hershey - going a disappointing 0-2, I was
determined to become a State Champ. My opponent, Jeff Martin, (Regional
finals match) ended up 2nd in the state that year so I figured I was on
the right track. However to reach this goal, I decided to forgo my
senior year of football to train for wrestling full time. After hearing
about this, our legendary coach Don Seidenstricker, pulled me aside to
talk about my decision.
He convinced me that I should not throw away the 8 years of hard work I
put into football for what should
be the high point of my career. He was right! We only ended up 5-5-1
that year, but it was as memorable
as any title I took in wrestling. Maybe I could have beat Hopkins
in the semi's, and met NA's Ray Brinzer
in the finals that year...if I would have trained for wrestling all
year. I will never know, but one thing
I am sure about is that I had a story book senior year because I was
involved in both wrestling and
football.
I don’t think I ever thanked Coach Seidenstricker for that, so if anyone
reading this knows Don...
tell him Steve says - Thanks!
note: SW Football Coach Don Seidenstricker is an ESU Alumnus!
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
DL
- Did you experience any success at the elementary level and junior high
level per your early days of
wrestling at South Western? Do you remember your first trophy or
medal?
SE
-
That first year in wrestling I remember winning several awards. Later
in life, I now realize what motivated me in those early years. I
was motivated to try and win as many tangible awards as I could get my
hands on whether it be ribbons, medals, trophies or even paper awards.
I look back on those days and realize I wasn’t much different than my
dog.
Dangle a treat in front of me and I would respond. Maybe I should let
my wife in on this secret!
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DL
- Your high school years at South Western High School... saw some
huge successes and great times!
What did Mark Bowersox, your head coach at South Western, mean to you
and the team as you won YCIAA
Championships and experienced multiple successes in the post-season?
SE
-
Mark was not only a great coach, but was an even better person.
You could ask Mark’s family or ask
any of the many students that were lucky enough to have him as a
teacher...or, someone he coached what qualities they saw in Mark. I am
sure you would get many different answers, but I would be surprised if
anyone would have one negative thing to say about Mark Bowersox. For
me, the quality that stood out the most was that he simply cared.
It didn’t matter if you were JV or Varsity, he wanted to see each kid
get better. After being in many wrestling rooms over the years, I have
learned that not all coaches feel comfortable bringing in outside
coaches and individuals to help. Mark realized that he had a lot of
talent in his wrestling room and he needed to bring in help from
different places to bring out the best in all of us. I know for a fact
that I would not have been the wrestler that I was if Mark didn’t bring
in the likes of Don Lehman, Bruce and Pete Riley, Jack Day, Dean Geiman
and many others. I even remember he was all for
me working with Tom
Toggas after we finished Sectionals and began getting ready for
Regionals and
States. In wrestling, we all have our strengths and weaknesses and
things that work for us and things that don’t. Not everyone is good at
a high crotch or tilts. The more qualified people - that can show
different
types of moves, the more the kids can pick and choose what works for
them. There are a lot of coaches out there that need to put their egos
aside and sometimes let others teach...for the betterment of their
kids. Personally,
I am grateful that Mark realized this. Thanks Mark!
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DL
- Can you tell us a story or two about some memories either in the
wrestling room, or on a trip to a
school or tournament that stands out? I ask this because I know
your mat team had fun off the mat before
getting serious on the mat!
SE
-
As I read this question, I have a huge grin on my face.
Do I have stories??
I could write a book on the stories I have. If any past teammates are
reading this - your secrets are still safe with me, except one.
Sorry Brandon! We gave our 103lb'er, Brandon Wingert, a hard time his
sophomore year. I know
Brandon is still mad at us for those types of jokes, but I feel it made
him a tougher wrestler in the end. He ended up capturing 3rd at the
’91 PIAA State Tournament and went on the wrestle Division I at
Franklin & Marshall. We were a pretty confident bunch during the
'89 dual meet season. I forget the team we were
wrestling that night, but as most of you know, you had to walk into our
gym and next to our mat to get into
the visitor's locker room. We used about 20 roles of mat tape to
tape Brandon, spread eagle, to the corner
of the mat closest to the visitor's locker room. I wish I would
have had a video camera filming the visiting team walking past Brandon
into their locker room! Some didn't know if they should look, some
couldn’t help but to stare, some I think wanted to help him! Whoever it
was, I am sure that Brandon probably beat the snot out of their 103lb'er
as he managed to do on most occasions. We followed that one up on
another
night by hanging him from the basketball rim with mat straps...as
another visiting team walked on by.
Brandon wasn’t the only one that got it, even the "greats"...such
as Joey Wildasin and Scott Weismantle
weren’t safe from some of our antics. We even got Coach Bowersox on
several occasions!
We did have a loose way with how we went about our business.
Coach Bowersox trusted Frank Lecrone
and I to handle the many different personalities we had in our own
manor. We knew when to have fun and when we needed to get serious. It
seemed to work for the most part, except when Weismantle got kicked
off the team in ’89...which could have possibly cost us a Regional crown
and a top 5 place at States.
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DL
- What did you do in the off-season to prepare for wrestling? Did
you go to camps, and if you did, what
did you take from that camp that helped you when the season came around?
SE
-
I was very fortunate that my Dad was able to send me to Dan Gable's camp
at the University of Iowa during the summers of 1986 and 1987.
Both summers - I did the 2-week intensive camp. As we all know
at that time - Iowa was the Mecca of the wrestling universe. I
think Gable was going for his record setting
12th title. It gave me a lot of confidence just being in that
environment with all the college wrestlers and wrestling kids from all
over the country. As a camp, we even went over to Dan Gable's
house for a cook-out one night. I thought I was cool coming back to PA
listening to kids and parents talk about Dan Gable...and I could tell
them "Oh Dan, yeah...I ate dinner at his house this summer!" Thanks
Dad!
One piece of information that may be interesting to the readers is the
impact that Joey Wildasin
had at
those camps. Back then, I don’t remember national rankings and
there wasn't an internet that people could go on to and check who the
best high school wrestlers were. I think Wildasin was in 8th grade the
first year we went out. Even in 8th grade, all the Iowa wrestlers,
including some big names, took notice to this 8th grade stud
tearing up on some of the best high school wrestlers in the country!
The 2nd year we went...
Joey Wildasin definitely got special treatment and attention from all
the coaches and counselors.
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DL
- What was your favorite move in wrestling... (in high school), and was
that move an integral part of
your
college days at East Stroudsburg University? Why?
SE
-
If you ever watched me wrestle in high school, you know I relied way too
much on mat wrestling. I
could ride legs and throw a cradle from the stands if I needed to. This
is what greatly hampered my ability
to make any kind of run at a State medal my junior year. I realized
this, and with the help of my coaches, I worked on developing a low
single leg that helped me greatly my senior year @ South Western.
When I began wrestling at the Division I level, it was obvious to me
that if I didn’t develop my stand-up
game, I might as well go back to my early years in basketball. Not
wanting to regress in my athletic career,
I began to work with my new coaching staff on the "neutral" position. I
still had some success riding opponents, for riding time...but, back
points were always tough to come by.
I analyze things much more these days and the one aspect of my style
that I wish I would have capitalized on more was on the defensive
side of things. I always felt I needed to rush things. I wish I
would have looked to score more off of other people's bad shots.
Especially - in high school. Watch a match sometime and count how many
bad shots are taken, you would be surprised!
One of the greatest overlooked tools in wrestling... is a good solid
stance that you can stay with the entire match, even when you get
tired.
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DL
- You had great teams at South Western... with teammates like Joey
Wildasin, Frank Lecrone, Scott
Weismantle, Jim Novak, Matt Hladio, Doug Seidenstricker, and others...
what team was the toughest you
faced in those championship years in the late eighties? What loss
stands out as a team in those days?
SE
-
That 89’ team was really tough.
I know you and I have discussed that it has to be in the conversation
with some of the best teams to come out of York County. It was
unfortunate that we never had a State
team tournament like they have now. I truly believe we could have
competed for a State crown that year. North Allegheny would have been
tough to beat that year. I think we went 16-1 that year with our only
loss at the hands of Manheim Central. I don’t like to make excuses for
anything in life, but I am going to make an exception on this one. It
was early in the year and we had to travel 2.5 hours to Susquenita in
the middle of the week and we didn’t have our full squad. Plus, Lecrone
lost, which didn’t happen often. I use his loss as a gauge for how the
team did. Everyone was flat including myself. That is one instance, as
a captain, I should have taken everyone aside and slapped them around a
little and pumped some life into them. All in all, we had a great year
as a dual meet team. That was the year we knocked off Dallastown to end
their National record dual meet win streak at 90-something. We beat
them a 2nd time to win the league title. Not only did we beat them, but
we dominated them.
I think the only 2 matches we lost were
myself and Joe Geiman. That shows what type of team we had and that we
were peaking at the right time.
We won Sectionals,
then had a tough DIII Regional tournament.
We lost Frank Lecrone to a huge upset in the 1st round
and we never had Weismantle due to a suspension. At that time, you
couldn’t wrestle-back if you lost in the 1st round. Frank was a
returning State qualifier and was ranked in the top-3 in States at the
time.
Because
of his loss and another huge upset in my weight class - John Klingaman
from Dallastown - upsetting the returning state runner-up Troy Minnich
from
Ephrata in
the first round as well...I later heard a rumor that these two matches
had an effect on the PIAA's
decision to make it a double-elimination tournament. I am sure we
still finished in the top 5, but probably could have made a run at the
title if several things would
have went our way.
The sophomore class really gave us a boost. Most of them came
out of the feeder-program from Westminster, MD... ran by Jack Day. We
had seniors on our team that never had a chance to wrestle
varsity that would have started on most teams in the county. Two
of these seniors, Gabe Laurence and
Tony
Meckley...became great work-out partners for Lecrone, Geiman, and
myself. Most seniors wouldn't
have
stuck around if they weren't on the Varsity team, but these guys
exemplified the type of character we had on that team. I think we had 8
different State qualifiers on that team, 5 State-placers and had the
talent to have several more of both.
I don’t think we had a wrestler on that team with a losing record.
You forgot one important name on that list, Brandon Wingert. Thanks to
all my South Western teammates for
the great memories!!
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DL
- Talk about Joey Wildasin, who spent a lot of time at my Aunt
Bonnie's household while you were at
South Western. What can you tell us about Joey's commitment to
training and winning, and what did you
learn from being around a 3-time PIAA AAA State Wrestling Champion
(132-1 career record)?
SE
-
Joey and I spent a lot of time together my last 2 years of high
school.
He was an intense competitor! Most people thought he was cocky,
but actually...he was somewhat shy and always respected his opponents.
Wildasin was a winner and I believe winning is contagious. I
think he brought a winning attitude to me as well as the rest of our
team.
It is a shame that he never finished his college career. I never got to
see him wrestle after high school. He already wrestled like a Division
I wrestler as a high-school'er! I know he had the talent to be a
multiple national champ, if he would have made some different school
choices. I am glad Joey finished college and
is doing well for himself.
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DL
- You were a 2-time PIAA State AAA Qualifier in "88 & '89", and as a
senior, made it to the 160lb. semi-
finals, only to lose a close 1-point decision to Greg Hopkins of
Waynesburg. Then, you lost to Rob Harris of
Abington Heights for 3rd/4th place in a not-so-close... 11-3
decision. What did you experience in that
semi-final PIAA loss that you still think about? If you had
another shot at that match... can you pick out an
area that you could have improved on?
(note: Ray Brinzer, N.
Allegheny won the '89 PIAA title 4-2 over Hopkins)
SE
-
I really wanted to be a PIAA champ and was upset that I lost that
semi-finals match. To be honest, I
don’t remember much about that match. I remember being deep on a
high-crotch with time running out
but I could not finish. I don’t know if you know this, but I lost
to Hopkins earlier in the year at the
California,
PA Holiday Christmas Tournament.
▪ I
would love to see a tape of our PIAA AAA '89 semi-finals match.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
DL
- You chose
East Stroudsburg University
as a school for a degree, and... to wrestle for at the NCAA
Division One level. Why did you choose ESU and what was that
initial season like in the wrestling room and
the actual dual meet and tourney clashes? Did you ever think about
giving it up?
SE
-
I chose ESU for 3 reasons. First, because you went there and you took
me there on my first visit. The second is ESU had just finished in the
Top 10 at the Division I tournament the year before with Jack Cuvo
and Anibal Nieves. Third was because
Coach Bob Dalling
showed me all the hot spots to hunt and fish at the Delaware Water Gap
on my second recruiting trip!
I know I should have included something about a degree or education in
those first 3... but I have to be honest.
Sorry Mom and Dad!
I remember my first practice as a fight broke out between an upper
classmen and a freshman. I looked at the coaches and they turned the
other way.
That is when I knew I was in a much different environment from my high
school days.
I remember my first walk back to the dorm rooms after my first
practice in which I had to stop "twice" walking up the stairs. The next
day, I actually called my mom and dad and said that I didn’t know if I
could keep this pace up. However, I took one day at a time and
eventually got accustomed to the much more intense schedule of a
Division I wrestler. I came full circle and actually got into a small
fight with a freshman my senior year - when he got the best of me on an
off-day. I realized then...that it is just a very competitive
environment with all of the top kids from other high school programs in
the same room.
ESU's Steve Elicker (5th from right
standing - back row... 1993 ESU Photos.
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DL
- Can you remember your toughest college match... and, your most
satisfying win while wrestling for
East Stroudsburg University? What loss still sticks out in your
mind as "I should have won that one!"?
SE
-
I didn’t have a "lot" of easy matches at the Division I level. I had
many great wins over some great competition, but one sticks in my
mind the most. I lost to Rob Harris 4 times in my wrestling career - 2
in
high school for Abington Heights and 2 in college for Army. We met for
the 5th time in the semi-finals of the 1994 EIWA Tournament with a trip
to the NCAA's on the line.
I walked away with a 1-point win and a finals meeting with Rick Hepp
from Lehigh... which didn’t turn out well for me!
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DL
- What were your thoughts as you walked into the North Carolina
Fieldhouse for the
1994 NCAA Division
One Championships? It had to be a very high point in your
wrestling career... and, the last time you would
compete in high school or college!
SE
-
I told myself that I would treat this as I have all the tournaments I
had competed in before. Just
another tournament! I was doing pretty well until I was on the mat
warming up with my teammate, Dave DiSora. And, the announcer came on
the loud speaker and started his commentary. I remember he said
"Welcome to the
1994 NCAA Division I Wrestling Tournament where you will see 250 of
the best wrestlers in the country competing for greatness!" I looked
around the Dean Dome and said "Wow!" I regained my composure and
reminded myself that I am competing in my last competition of my
wrestling career. I told myself that I didn't want to have any excuses
and I needed to leave it all on the mat. I did! Unfortunately I
came out on the wrong end of a 7-3 decision to 9th seeded Brett
Colombini from Minnesota. I was in a bad location in the bracket.
Colombini ended up losing to 8th seeded Rich Catalano and with that loss
my career ended. Colombini ended up wrestling back and placing 6th and
Catalano placed 4th. You can now wrestle back in the NCAA's with a
first round loss no matter what. It would have been nice to have one
more match ...no matter the outcome.
But I have no regrets.
Over the years I have come to realize that most wrestlers, except Cael
Sanderson, wanted more out of
their careers. Even a legend such as Dan Gable talks about how that
loss in college
haunted him. JV wrestlers want to be Varsity, Varsity wrestlers want to
be Regional qualifiers, Regional qualifiers want to
be State qualifiers, State qualifiers want to be State
place-winners, State placers want to be State champs, State champs want
to be "multiple champs!" Then, if you are fortunate enough to wrestle
in college, the
cycle starts all over again! One more win is never enough - no matter
what medal you ended up with. It really haunted me for a long time that
I was never a State champ and that I never placed at NCAA's. To
be honest with you, I still think about it. However, I have finally
come to peace with what I accomplished.
I have come to realize I was fortunate enough to compete in a sport that
not every person is tough enough
to do. It doesn’t matter if you were JV or Varsity or if you even had a
winning varsity record,
we competed!
The most important award all wrestlers walk away with at the end of
their careers, no matter how long
those careers last, is that we are all better people for having
competed in this sport! All those tangible awards I coveted as a
kid and later as a young adult, are all growing dusty in boxes under my
house. I recently took down my PIAA State medal and my NCAA Academic
All-American plaques to make room
for the baby's new nursery. That was the last of my awards and they are
now packed away and I am all
right with it all.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
DL
- Who were some of your close friends at ESU, and how did they influence
your life? Do you still keep in
contact with some of your college and high school wrestling buddies?
SE
-
Unfortunately, the only college friend I still somewhat keep in touch
with is Angelo Borzio.
I did see that there was a DiSora from Easton HS in the PIAA State
Tournament and was wondering if it was my ESU teammates son, Dave?
Two of my high school teammates, Frank Lecrone and Neal Kemper, joined
me on a back-country archery
elk hunt. I think I could still get to my high school weight, but
those two would have to move up about 6 weight classes! So, if you
two are reading this...make sure you cut some weight for our 2013 hunt!
I don’t want to wait 15 minutes at the top of each ridge while you 2
"flatlanders" huff and puff trying to catch up.
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DL
- What was the biggest difference between wrestling at a high
level (AAA) in Pennsylvania @ South
Western High School... and wrestling NCAA Division One at the PSAC and
EIWA level at ESU? Is wrestling
a more physical sport... or, a more mental sport? Would you say
it's the toughest sport?
SE
-
As I stated above, it is much more intense from the training - to
practices - to the competitions.
I feel that wrestling in PA gave me a foundation to be successful at the
Division I level.
It is no wonder that more PA wrestlers qualify for Nationals than any
other state.
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DL
- While at East Stroudsburg University, you wrestled Penn's
Brandon Slay,
who went on to win a Gold
Medal at the 2000 Olympic Games (Freestyle) in Sydney, Australia.
Brandon and I shared some e-mails
about your match with him, and he told me that you really "kicked his
butt!" Tell me about that match and
how did you beat him?
SE
-
Well, the one thing I had in my favor was that Brandon was a freshman
and I was a senior! However,
he was no normal freshman. In fact, he also qualified for
Nationals that year in my weight class, taking a 3rd. As you know, he
later became a 2-time NCAA finalist and an Olympic Wrestling Gold Medalist.
We were wrestling Penn towards the end of the year...and they were
ranked in the country.
∙
We really wanted to win the dual meet!
They tried to move Brandon up a weight to get a "sure" win against our
177lb'er.
We caught it at the last minute and my coach pulled me back to send out
our "back-up" 167lb'er. Our
back-up 167lb'er had a great match and eeked out a win!
I went on to beat Slay and ESU went on to win the dual meet.
We beat a ranked Syracuse team the following week to get our
school record 16th win and
an honorable mention in the last Division I team ranking of the year.
Now that ESU went back to Division II,
I am guessing that was the last time ESU was ever ranked as a team.
This was a great accomplishment for me as the captain of that
squad. I went to ESU the year after we finished top-ten in the
country. It was nice to leave ESU with a healthy program. It is
unfortunate that ESU will never have a chance to compete
with
the big schools again at the Division I level.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
DL
- You were a 2-time NCAA DI Academic All-American at
ESU. How does
that rank with your many mat
accomplishments while in college? I guess you knew where ESU's
Kemp
Library was?!?
SE
-
I think I wanted to be a Division I Wrestling All-American more than I
wanted to be a State Champ.
Unfortunately, that never happened. But I am very proud of my
success academically at ESU. I was not a great student in high school,
but I decided that I really wanted to earn a degree once I got into
ESU. I really had to focus on my studies and develop a system that
worked for me. This system involved going to
the
library after every practice and in-between classes. Once I left
the house, I never went home until
8:00pm or later. I knew once I went home, I would never study. Without
the sport of wrestling...I don’t
know if I would have been disciplined enough to reach my goal.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
DL
- Support is very important in the very tough sport of wrestling.
I know your mom (Bonnie), dad (Bob)
and your sister (Karen) were VERY supportive. Share your thoughts
on why this family support is an
integral part of success in athletics, both in high school and college.
SE
-
I couldn’t agree more, Don.
Wrestling can be a lonely sport and it helps to have people in
your life that understand the ups and downs that come with the sport.
I was very fortunate to have a family that always followed my
career and always supported - without criticizing. It helps to
look up in the stands and see support. It makes the low time
more tolerable and the highlights more enjoyable! Support should not
only come from your family, but it helps to get it from your coaches and
especially your teammates, since they are the ones that know what you
are going through. I was lucky to have support from family,
coaches and teammates.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
DL
- After ESU, you got into skiing, and became an instructor. Did
you get the urge to ski while at ESU and
its proximity to the Pocono Mountain resorts? What do you do as a
hobby now? Are you still an avid
fisherman and hunter in Colorado? And, do you still have the
Harley Fat-Boy?
SE
-
Actually, I started skiing in high school. Joey Wildasin said he would
teach me. Boy, was that a big mistake! After the initial 2 hours with
Joey, in which I swore I would never ski again - I ditched Wildasin and
went with some other teammates and managed to have a great time! I was
hooked from that moment on. The unfortunate part was that wrestling
never allowed time for skiing. I did it from time to time when my
schedule allowed and actually spent my Junior and Senior spring breaks
in Colorado skiing. After my senior trip, I decided to move "out" for a
year after graduation. I took skiing very serious for the first
four years in Colorado. I became a fully certified instructor and
actually taught skiing in Australia one summer.
I love to spend as much time as possible in the outdoors.
Hunting has been and still is a big part of my life.
I love to chase pheasant & quail with my German Shorthaired Pointers
throughout the prairies of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska and South Dakota.
I have also began to race mountain bikes. I figured after turning 40, I
needed to get back into some sort of competition. It keeps me in good
shape - ask Lecrone! My wife and I have a camper that we love to take
all over Colorado throughout the summers.
I traded that HD Fat Boy in for a Road King Classic. My wife and I
didn’t get to ride as much last year as we normally do. We always enjoy
our annual pilgrimage to Sturgis!
You need to go on that trip with us one of these years!
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
DL
- Do you still follow wrestling these days... and, if you could tell the
young people of today a couple of things as they train for the sport of
wrestling, what would they be?
SE
-
I actually helped at a local high school for several years. The head
coach never seemed to appreciate
what I brought to the program so I quit helping out. One of those
coaches that thinks he knows everything.
I still check out what is going on in PA and on the NCAA Division I
level.
The one message that I can give to kids is that you will get out of if
it what you decide to put into it.
To be successful in anything, you need to work at it.
∙
The saying "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work" is very
true.
We all can't be blessed with natural ability, but we all have the
ability to work hard. If you
work hard you will be rewarded. Come up with a long term goal and use
many short term goals to get to
that long term goal. Remember that short term goals change on a daily
basis. Stick with the sport because
it prepares you for life.
I win and lose every day in the business world.
The one thing wrestling has taught me is that when I lose, I have to
stand back up and continue on. I can sulk about it...or work to
get better.
Most wrestlers will always choose to get better. Be proud of your
accomplishments, whether it be one
win or a State championship. I promise that you will be a better person
for having competed in wrestling!
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
DL
- Steve, thanks for sharing your thoughts and also reminiscing about
your past days in the sport!
SE
-
Thanks for having me, Don. These questions brought back a lot of
great memories. I hope everyone enjoys reading the interview!
I sure had a great time reminiscing.
▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪ ▪
∙ You can e-mail Don Lehman
HERE!
1988 PIAA District III SC AAA Champions
Steve Elicker's South Western HS
Teammate...
▪
Joey Wildasin - - (above) was a 3-time AAA
PIAA State Champion
and had a
career overall record of 132-1...@ South Western High School!
ESU VARSITY WRESTLING '93-'94
Div. I
∙ 1992/93 - East Stroudsburg
University Wrestling Captains.
(L-R) Dave DiSora &
Steve Elicker.
(NCAA DI Qualifiers)
1993-94 ESU WRESTLING
ESSC/ESU PSAC Placewinners
Page -
CLICK HERE!
ESSC/ESU
"All-Time" Wrestling Letterwinners -
1970-2012
▪
ESU's
DiSora & Elicker advance to EIWA semi's
article...
HERE!
Annapolis, MD - Gardner Party
∙ 2011 - ESSC/ESU Wrestlers & Cousins -
Elicker/Lehman (4-year lettermen).
(L-R )
South Western HS & ESU mat standout, Steve Elicker
... w/cousin Don Lehman.
photo by Karen Elicker Gardner
Mat Cousins! Lehman & Elicker
∙ Todd Lehman &
Steve Elicker @
Chiapparelli's
Restaurant... in
(Little Italy, Baltimore
Inner Harbor w/Elicker-Lehman-Messinger family)
Annapolis, MD - Gardner Party
∙
2011 - (L-R)
Todd Lehman
(WY '04),
Eric Lehman
(WY '96)
with...
cousin Steve Elicker
(South
Western '89 &
ESU '94).
photo by Karen Elicker Gardner
|
All-Star Wrestling Team ('88-'89)
Pick: Brinzer.
