The following blog entry was provided by Eastern Michigan University freshman wrestler Mike Curby. Curby was a 2x All-State Wrestler and 2009 State Champion for Hilisdale High School, in addition to earning Greco All-American honors multiple times in Fargo. Michigan Grappler would like to thank him for taking time out of his busy schedule to talk about his experiences in Ypsilanti.
9/29 - Hello fellow Michigan Grapplers. My name is Mike
Curby and I am a freshman this year at Eastern Michigan
University. If two summers ago someone would have told
me that I would be attending EMU for college, I would
have told them they were crazy. As a little guy growing
up, I was a huge University of Michigan fan. My Uncle
Dave Curby was a member of the wrestling team there in
the late 70’s where he was a Big Ten Champion along
with team captain. My father Jerry was also a member of
the Wolverine wrestling team in the mid to late 80’s. So
having all of these huge ties to U of M made it very
tempting for me to go there after graduating high school.
After being eliminated from Fargo, the summer going into
my senior year, I finally started to think seriously about
what I was going to do for college. My whole high school
career I had been a member of Dave Bolyard’s Advantage
Wrestling Club, where I really started learning how to
wrestle and “be tough” as coach would say. On the trip home from Fargo, Coach Bolyard was unwillingly forced into driving one of the vans full of guys back to Michigan. Coach and I talked a lot and I really, for the first time, started thinking about the possibility of going to Eastern. He told some different jokes to us, one about rats, and another about the smalls brothers (which is not very funny when your name is used in the punch line of the joke). I realized that he was the type of guy I like being around. Also, from being in his club, I knew what type of coach and phenomenal technician he was and already had a huge jump on the technique that he uses and teaches here at EMU.
By the time I got home, I almost had my mind made up that I was going to Eastern. The only thing holding me back was the thought that other people would think that I am really not that good of a wrestler if I am going to EMU since they don’t have a big name in the wrestling world…yet. I called coach and told him this and he responded by saying, “Mike, going through life always worrying about what other people think of you is no way to live. You just have to worry about what’s best for you as a person and control what you can control.” After hearing this, I thought about it and I was sold. I verbally committed to coach right there on the phone.
Now that I am here at Eastern, I am so happy that I have made the decision that I did. All three of the coaches, Delporto, Bolyard, and Pflug, are great guys to be around and some of the coolest dudes I have ever met. I love just going into the office and joking around with them, especially talking smack to Coach Bolyard about fantasy football (since I am currently first place in the league). At the same time, I really like how when it comes time to workout, they are very serious and push all of us beyond what we think we can do, with the goal of being an All-American and NCAA Champion on our minds.
Making the adjustment from high school to college has been hard at times. When wrestling in practice on our feet, I feel decent against most of the guys since I feel that is my best position. But mat wrestling, specifically bottom, it is so much different. Wrestling three man groups, with the guy that is staying in on bottom, can be very frustrating. The guys on top seem to be relentless with their ride and don’t just give up and easy escapes, as one might get in high school. I am starting to learn how to react in different situations so that I can put myself in a position to escape, but even then, it is a fight.
Also, there were many things learned in the first week living in the dorms. One time I walked into Jake Byers’ (Rockford High School) room eating a PBJ sandwich and he immediately yelled for me to, “Get out!” because apparently he’s allergic to peanuts. A couple a days later, when Jake was at class, Derrik Marry (my roommate) snuck into his room and hid a jar of peanuts between his two pillows. Once he got back and found them, he flipped. He told Derrik that he was going to “kill him” and refused to talk to both of us. Then he took off his pillowcases and slept on just the bare pillows for like two weeks (which I thought was hilarious). But apparently he is deathly allergic to peanuts and can actually die. So I guess that made it a little less funny.
Finally, dorm life is a little different from what I am used to at home. Derrik and I quite possibly have the most unorganized/messiest dorm room in the country, which doesn’t help our chances of having any girls over. We currently have a fridge literally sitting directly in the middle of the room because we didn’t feel like moving our baskets out of the way so it would fit nicely against the wall. Also, I don’t think I have used my dresser since the first day we moved in and my dirty clothes lie scattered on the floor in the spots where they were take off. One of these days we are going to have to set aside some time to clean up this place and not live like complete slobs.
I hope that all of you enjoyed my first blog entry and you come back and read my future posts and see how things are going for me here at EMU.
GO EAGLES!
Past Michigan Grappler Welcome to College Blogs:
"The guys on top seem to be relentless with their ride and don’t just give up and easy escapes, as one might get in high school. I am starting to learn how to react in different situations so that I can put myself in a position to escape, but even then, it is a fight."
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