Jason Jacaruso '18 Recruiting Profile

    I walked into high school a one sport athlete and that sport was not wrestling. Walking through the halls one day in late December I saw my former middle school wrestling coach. Previously in middle school I wrestled one season in 6th grade until I broke my teeth and quit half way through it.  My former coach asked me to come join the team because he needed to fill a weight class and I was set on not wrestling, I did not like it, nor did I want to wear the singlet.  After a couple weeks of harassment I joined the team and filled the spot. I was varsity my first year just because there was no one there to wrestle me for the spot, and I lost most of my matches. I was bad freshmen year and I did not know what I was doing. My coach helped me through everything and spent so much of his time teaching me and helping me learn that I really grew closer to him. When I got to the state tournament that year I was excited that I just made it to the second day of states.  When I lost that second day and didn't even come close to placing I was very upset, I felt as though I let down my coach and I wanted to be better. 

    That summer my coach suggested that I go to a wrestling club called Silver Backs in Windham CT a full 40 minutes away.  He drove me up there in the beginning and just like my freshmen season I got my butt handed to me there as well. The Silver Back coaches didn't even like me because I was not that good and possibly because I was an out of town-er from another school district. They only focused on the better more talented kids, and I was like those kids punching bags. Nearing the end of that summer I finally started beating some of the Silver Back kids and the coaches started paying attention to me and coaching me as well.  Along with this attention the coaches would even wrestle me and teach me one on one. Although one of the coaches gave me a concussion one practice wrestling me I could tell they were warming up to me. They started helping me out more and more as I got better, and teaching me some very useful techniques that I used my sophomore year in wrestling. 

    My sophomore year I wrestled way better than I expected.  The first tournament I went to I placed third and I loved it, I loved the win, the medal, and my coaches. That was the day I fell in love with the sport, the day I saw that hard work actually pays off.  After that day I continued my season placing third at every tournament I went to along with second at my own school's annual invitational tournament.  I was the happiest person ever.  I finished that season with only 8 losses. When the state tournament came around I had to wrestle a kid that I already lost to prior in the season to place. I was so scared as I thought that all the work I did in the off season at Silver Backs wasn't enough this time and I was going to lose to him again and not place. It was actually the very opposite, I ended up beating the senior wrestler and placed 5th in Class S states.  After that match I ran over to my coach and jumped into his arms and hugged him thanking him for everything he did for me. Still to this day that is the best memory I have in my whole life. 

    The summer of my sophomore year into junior year I took on the greatest challenge of my life to get better at the sport I loved.  I went to JRob Intensive Wrestling Camps.  Here I didn't just become a better wrestler, I became a better person.  JRob is a camp I went to in PA for 14 days, there along with wrestling we ran and lifted everyday, along with having a mental attitude class at the end of everyday, and on the last day we had to run a 13 mile half marathon at 5 am to graduate.  This camp gave me a new perspective on things and gave me a never give up attitude as well as well as a new skill set for wrestling.  Upon completion of this camp I knew I could accomplish anything as long as I'm willing to work hard for it.  After this camp I continued to go to Silver Backs to prepare for my junior year season. 

    Junior year was both a good and bad year for me.  I improved a lot and that year was deemed as the team captain with my new mental attitude and wrestling skills.  I finished my season with a 18-3 record except I never actually finished my season.  My third loss was at a tournament I was the first seed at which I never finished. I was wrestling this kid that I was beating the whole match.  During the whole match my shoulder was hurting me a little but I brushed it off. In the beginning of the third period I threw the kid and the way we landed really hurt my shoulder and I knew something was wrong. I took an injury time and it hurt so bad, the trainer thought it was broken. But I was wining my match and it was the third period and with my new never give up attitude from JRob I decided to go back in the match and finish beating the kid (now looking back at it, it wasn't the smartest decision).  The kid immediately let me up and shot in on me and I caught him with an under hook, and when I went to preform my throw by I heard popping in my shoulder and neck and intense pain immediately shot up it.  I let go of him and ran to my coaches, I had suffered an AC Joint fracture in my collar bone area. I wasn't only done with that day but I was done for the rest of my season. Unfortunately that included the states this year where I I had scored enough point/wins to carry me through the last four weeks of the season to the number one seed without even having to compete.

    That summer my father got a call from the world champion of greco wrestling TJ MarcAurele. He told my father he was watching me during my season and wanted me to come wrestle at his club.  At his club I found some of the best competition I have ever wrestled. TJ's team was good and that's what helped me grow. This summer is where I had the biggest growth in my wrestling skill. I even earned myself a varsity spot on his team and competed in team tournaments with them.  At eastern nationals our team took first and second place (as our B team that entered took second). I placed 5th that day as I had a lot of hard fought matches one where I lost in overtime. Including this tournament I wrestled many more for TJ placing in all of them.  TJ taught me a lot, the most I have ever learned. He really prepared me for my last wrestling season as a senior. 

    My senior year of wrestling went great. I felt like a monster this year beating everyone and pinning most. I went to one team tournament and in my four matches that day I pinned every kid within the first period.  I finish the season 21-1, and i'm still a little mad I didn't go undefeated but I know I just have to move forward and keep grinding and looking towards the future.  TJ taught me that the most important part about the sport is have fun. Before every match I tell myself to go out there have fun and do something cool.  If I gave my 100% in a match I'm okay with losing and I just use that loss to fuel me to work harder. I'm looking forward to wrestling ECC and the state tournaments that are coming up in the next few weeks. I'm hoping to do really well and leave my legacy with the school and make my coaches proud of me.

    I plan on continuing the sport I love in college. I would be a great asset to your team as I work very hard and strive to be the best at whatever I do. Whatever work you put into training me I promise to repay you one day on the mat and make you proud, I strive to make others proud of me. Also if I got to the skill level I am at now in just three years, imagine how much better I will be wrestling with your team with better practices, competition, and teaching.  Along with all this, I work very hard in school as well, and I'm hoping that one day I get to obtain a job within the field of medicine. I've job shadowed multiple doctors and physician assistants which I hope to one day become. I know what its like to start at the bottom of this sport with the hardships that come along with it and what it takes to work your way to the top, and I'm ready to start at the bottom again and work my way all the way back to the top at a new higher level of wrestling.