Karl Voeck knelt on a mat which teaching the wrestlers on the Monona
Grove/McFarland co-op about the nuances of the sport and how they could
wind up being successful.Team members listened intently and
seemed to soak up his charisma and excitement for a sport that he has
cherished for a long time.Voeck, who replaced co-coach Randy
Becker before the season, knows from experience how to motivate young
men and build their character through wrestling, which has had a major
impact on his life.
A
native of Madison and a 2000 graduate of Madison Memorial High School,
Voeck entered the Air Force for four years, and competed as a wrestler
in the World Class Athlete program for about two months.
After his
hitch in the service, he returned home to wrestle on the UW-Whitewater
team. He was an All-American and said he learned about wrestling from
some of the best coaches in NCAA Division III before earning his degree
in occupational safety and coaching in 2009.
While in college, he
had the chance to travel to Russia and compete against that country’s
club wrestlers. He won five of seven matches before hurting his knee.
“In Russia, it’s like a national sport,” Voeck said. “They treat you like a celebrity over there, which is pretty cool.”
Voeck ended his UW-Whitewater career with 88 wins. He was named to the WIAC All-Conference first team.
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