We continue our series with TJ Sebolt from Sebolt Wrestling Academy. The company recently purchased the former Fieldhouse building just south of the Jefferson square on S. Chestnut St. Sebolt Wrestling Academy trains approximately 70 elite wrestlers from third graders up to high schoolers. He’s been renting facilities in Mason City and Ames, but in the near future will headquarter operations in Jefferson, where he and his family will reside.

A four-time Iowa high school wrestling state champion, Sebolt had a 207-1 record at Centerville HS, and wrestling was his only high school sport. He gave his views on being a wrestling only athlete, or multi-sport athlete, to Raccoon Valley Radio. “I think once you get to the high school level, I don’t think you should do every single sport there is. I think it’s okay to be multi-sport and mix it up a little bit, say two sports. If you want to be a great wrestler, or a great football player, if you take a look at what the rest of the country is doing, they are specializing in that craft. Look at summertime wrestling; you make huge ground in the summertime. There’s a lot of sports that go on during summertime that you may have to cut out if you want to be that top tier wrestler.”

Sebolt added, “I think as a younger athlete, when you’re a kid, you could do a lot of multiple sports and it’s going to help you become a better athlete. But I think at a certain age, you’ve kind of got to pick the paths you want to take if you really want to be great at one or the other versus just being a good athlete, if that makes any sense.”

Current Greene County HS wrestler McKinley Robbins and current Greene County middle school athlete Brent Dennhardt have both trained at Sebolt Academy for some time. Robbins, a freshman, and Dennhardt, a seventh grader, are both quite accomplished on the mat.