Ken Chertow

Last updated
Ken Chertow
Personal information
Born (1966-10-07) October 7, 1966 (age 57)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Home town Huntington, West Virginia, U.S.
Sport
CountryUnited States
Sport Wrestling
Event(s) Freestyle and Folkstyle
College team Penn State
TeamUSA
Medal record
Men's freestyle wrestling
Representing the Flag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Pan American Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg1986 Colorado Springs57 kg
Junior World Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg1984 Washington, D.C.56 kg
Collegiate Wrestling
Representing the Penn State Nittany Lions
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1987 College Park 126 lb
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 1988 Ames 118 lb

Ken Chertow (born October 7, 1966) is an American folkstyle and freestyle wrestler, who competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. [1] Coach Chertow conducts wrestling camps across the United States. He serves as a mentor for thousands of young wrestlers whom he coaches at his clinics and summer camps in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

Contents

Prep

Chertow won two West Virginia High School State Championships at Huntington High School in Huntington, West Virginia along with Most Outstanding Wrestler Awards. [2] He culminated his prep career by winning Junior Nationals in both freestyle and Greco and the Junior World Championship.

College

While studying and training at Penn State, Chertow was a 3x NCAA All-American, [3] World Espoir Champion, Pan American Champion and 1988 U.S. Olympian. Chertow also excelled in the classroom, where he was a 3X Academic All-American, graduating with a 3.6 GPA. He intended to become a doctor and enrolled in Medical school at Ohio State University, but ultimately dropped out to pursue a further wrestling career [4] Chertow is also a member of Alpha Epsilon Pi. [5]

Camps

Chertow conducted summer day camps throughout college and started the Gold Medal Training System upon graduation from Penn State in 1989. During Chertow's first five years conducting camps, he also coached at Ohio State and Penn State. During his three years at Ohio State, he helped build the Buckeyes into a national powerhouse. Ohio State finished 4th and 5th in the 1991 and 1992 NCAA Championships.

Coaching

He returned to Penn State in 1992 and joined the Nittany Lion Coaching Staff. Chertow's team won the National Dual Meet Championship and was 2nd in the NCAA Championships, PSU's best finish since 1953.

In 1994, Chertow left college coaching to focus his time and energy on helping young people through his local wrestling school and to devote more time to developing his camp system. Many of Chertow's wrestlers have excelled, winning State & National Championships.

His dedication and skills, coupled with his commitment to surrounding his campers with the best possible staff in the nation, has made the Gold Medal Training Camp the most highly organized and successful camp system in the nation.[ citation needed ] Chertow's summer camp draws and develops many champions. From 1998-2010, high school campers won 500+ State Championships, while younger campers won well over 250 AAU, NHSCA, & USA National Championships.

Chertow conducts clinics throughout the country, has produced a series of instructional videos, and is the broadcast analyst for College Sports Television (CSTV) and the Big Ten Network (BTN). [6]

Works

Chertow has also written a motivational book titled, Wrestling: A Commitment to Excellence. [7]

Accomplishments

- 3X Academic All American
- 3X NCAA All American
- 2X Junior National Champion
- 2X Junior World Champion (team and individual)
- Midlands Champion & OW
- Elected to Midlands Hall of Fame
- Olympic Festival Champion
- U.S. National Team Competitor for 7 Consecutive Seasons
- 200+ USAW, NHSCA & AAU National Champions
- Tulsa National Team Championship
- Wrestling USA National Champions
- Gold Medal Training Camp 1989-2008
- 50+ H.S. State Champs 1998-2008
- Featured Clinician at: NCAA Coaches Clinic, NWCA National Convention
- Penn State Coach
- Ohio State Coach
- National Dual
- Big Ten & CBS Expert Analyst
- Broadcaster of the Year [8]

See also

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References

  1. "USA Wrestling". TheMat.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-15. Retrieved 2012-11-15.
  2. "West Virginia High School Wrestling, Huntington High School".
  3. "View the Wrestler". Wrestlingstats.com. Retrieved 2012-11-15.
  4. "Meet the 'humble' doctor whose patients don't know about his Penn State wrestling record". centredaily.com. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
  5. "Greeks in Wrestling". Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2014.
  6. "Pennsylvania Wrestling Camps Ohio Youth Wrestling Camp California Girls Wrestling Camps Texas Wrestling Camps". Kenchertow.com. 2007-07-28. Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-11-15.
  7. "A Commitment to Excellence, by Ken Chertow-Ken Chertow Wrestling". Wearandgear.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-28. Retrieved 2012-11-15.
  8. "Pennsylvania Wrestling Camps Ohio Youth Wrestling Camp California Girls Wrestling Camps Texas Wrestling Camps". Kenchertow.com. 2007-07-28. Archived from the original on 2012-03-08. Retrieved 2012-11-15.