WAYNESBURG, Pa. (Oct. 30) – No matter the level of competition, assistant wrestling coach Drew Headlee will do whatever it takes to be the best. His track record on the mat certainly backs that up.
As a junior at nearby Waynesburg Central High School, Headlee claimed the 112-pound PIAA state championship in 2002. After moving on to the University of Pittsburgh, he proved himself as one of the best in the country by earning All-American status at 133 pounds in 2005.
After carving out a reputation as one of the best in the state of Pennsylvania and the country, Headlee is turning his sites to the biggest stage, or mat, for him to showcase his skills.
The son of head wrestling coach Ron Headlee has been spending the last few years in training to compete in the wrestling world championships and the Olympics. In September, he got a first-hand look at what world-class competition looks like as he was selected to travel to Europe as a training partner at the world championships.
Headlee went to work with Danny Felix, a former Arizona State wrestler who competed at the 55 kg. (121 lb.) weight class in the freestyle tournament.
Both Felix and Headlee are part of a partnership between the United States Olympic Development Program and Mylan Corporation, which has its corporate headquarters in Pittsburgh. Thanks to Mylan, Headlee is able to work part-time hours, but receive fulltime pay, while he spends several hours a day training to compete internationally.
Mylan works closely with the Sunkist Kids, which is the wrestling club team that Headlee competes for.
After training with Felix for months, Headlee joined the rest of the American contingency as they flew across the Atlantic to Saarbrucken, Germany, where they spent the bulk of their time training for the competition, which was held in Herning, Denmark. It was clear, this was no tourist trip.
“There was no time for sight-seeing. It was pretty much down to business,” Headlee said. “We trained twice a day on three-day cycles. We didn't even have the energy to go out.”
After 10 days in Germany, the American contingency met up with the top wrestlers from around the globe in Denmark. Unfortunately, Felix lost his first match and was eliminated from competition. For Headlee, however, the championships gave him an up-close and personal look at the type of competition he would have to face to be labeled as one of the world's best.
“It was unbelievable to see the best guys in the world,” Headlee said. “You see videos of guys competing at that level, but to see it live is a whole new experience. I've set my goals high and being over there with the world team coaching staff; they were seeing me work out and helping me along at the same time.”
After returning from the world championships in late September, Headlee began training for his latest competition, the 2009 Sunkist Kids International Open, which was held in Phoenix, Ariz., on Oct. 25.
Waynesburg's youngest assistant wrestling coach fared well against top-notch competition and placed fifth at 60 Kg. (132.25 lb.) in the freestyle competition. He dominated his first match against Daniel Walker of the Sunkist Kids, winning by technical fall 6-0, 7-0, but then dropped into the consolation rounds in his next match.
He bounced back well in the wrestle-backs as he pinned Raj Virdi of Canada and gutted out an 8-1, 5-7,2-2 triumph over Jimmy Kennedy. After dropping into the fifth-place bout, Headlee closed out his tournament with a 2-0, 0-6, 3-0 victory Joey Rivera of Lehigh Valley.
Headlee was joined in the bracket by an old friend and teammate, Coleman Scott. Scott was a three-time state champion at Waynesburg Central and went on to be a national champion at Oklahoma State.
If Headlee had beaten Moore, he would have faced Scott in the semifinals of the weight. The former high school teammates also traveled to the world championships together as training partners.
Speaking of familiar faces, Drew Headlee's younger brother Ethan, who is heading into his junior season at Pitt, also fared well. He placed fourth at 74 Kg. (163 lb.).
While at worlds, Headlee was able to work closely with not only the top grapplers from around the globe, but he also received attention and advice from some of the best coaches in wrestling. He plans on not only utilizing that advice as he chases his competitive dreams, but also imparting on this year's Yellow Jacket wrestling team.
“I enjoy coming in and working with the guys,” Headlee said. “I've been pretty busy lately, so I haven't been up in the room a lot, but I'm excited for the season. It's nice to get a break from training and getting to coach. It's something I really want to do in the future.”
