That's the question confronting college freshmen wrestlers and their coaches.
For freshman Kirk Smith at Boise State University, it was a matter of testing the waters … and deciding on his own that, after a few weeks of wrestling unattached with considerable success, he was ready to officially compete as the 184-pound starter for the Broncos.
From Idaho to Greensboro to national attention
As of this writing, Kirk Smith is 19-1 in his first year of college competition, with his most recent matches against Pac-10 rivals Oregon (where he won by forfeit) and Oregon State (a 12-6 decision over Kyle Bressler) the last weekend in January. His only loss to date was against Iowa's Phil Keddy at the Kaufman-Brand Open in mid-November. This record has him ranked No. 8 at 184 pounds by RevWrestling.com.
Even though he had been successfully competing throughout the fall as an unattached wrestler, Kirk Smith really caught the attention of college wrestling fans across the nation with his performance at the 2007 Southern Scuffle.
Kirk SmithKirk Smith was more than unattached -- he was also unseeded. In his first match at the Southern Scuffle, he upset seventh-seeded Matthew Parsons of Navy 10-4 … then got a 10-3 victory over Matt Ryan (a student a Virginia Tech, competing unattached). In the quarterfinals, Kirk shut out the second-seeded Josh Haines of Maryland 6-0. Next match, he got a 6-4 semifinals win over NC State's Ryan Goodman, seeded third in the tournament. In the finals, Kirk edged top-seeded Rocco Caponi of Virginia 1-0 to claim the 184-pound crown at the Scuffle.
The official Web site of at least one Division I college program described Kirk's championship as "the biggest upset of the Southern Scuffle."
Making that upset -- and the title -- even sweeter: Not only had Kirk Smith knocked off the top three seeds at the Southern Scuffle, he had defeated two nationally-ranked wrestlers along the way. (Haines was ranked eighteenth in the nation, while Caponi was ranked seventh.)
After the Scuffle, taking off the redshirt
Here's how Greg Randall describes the issue of whether Kirk Smith would take advantage of the redshirt as a freshman: "He wrestled in open tournaments unattached to see if he was ready. We didn't want to put him in the lineup too soon."
In a published interview with the Boise State Arbiter student newspaper, Kirk Smith is quoted as saying, "I went around (competing) under the Bronco Wrestling Club, which allowed me to go to open tournaments. I still wrestled big-name guys and kind of used that as a landmark to see if I wanted to come out."
Coach Randall: "After winning the Scuffle, he wanted to compete for the team. We talked it over. He then went home, discussed with his parents, and, a few hours later, told us."
Kirk Smith: "When the coaches asked me, I said, 'You know what I want to do.'"
Greg Randall has led Boise State to four top three team finishes at the Pac-10 Championships and two top 25 finishes at the NCAA Championships.In his first official match after stripping off the redshirt designation, Kirk Smith went up against the number one wrestler in the Pac-10, Ian Murphy of Cal State Fullerton. The newest Boise State Bronco won the bout 3-2.
"It was pretty nerve-wracking," Kirk told the Boise State Arbiter. "But I've been in bigger and tougher matches. It was still nerve-wracking, it was my first match with a Bronco singlet on. You always remember your first match."
The wrestling Smiths
Kirk Smith may not actually remember his very first match, since it was probably at a very early age. After all, he grew up in a household of wrestlers.
"My dad wrestled at Wilkes (College) in Pennsylvania," discloses the Boise State starter. "He grew up in the east, then he and mom moved out to Idaho, where I was born. He coached at my club when I was a kid, then helped out at my middle school, too."
"He went with me to the Kaufman-Brand. He was in my corner, which meant a lot to me."
In addition to a father with a mat background, Kirk's two older brothers are wrestlers, too. One of his brothers, Nick, wrestles heavyweight for the Broncos; eldest brother Erik is a veteran of the Boise State wrestling program.
"We'd all be laying on the floor in the living room, watching TV," says Kirk. "The three sons would take on dad during the commercials. Or it would be dad and me versus the two older brothers."
"I was so much smaller than they were when I was a kid," continues Kirk. "I was something of a late bloomer. It was good to grow bigger and be able to get back at my brothers."
All that at-home wrestling experience helped pave the way to success as a youngster on actual wrestling mats. "I wrestled freestyle �til middle school," according to Kirk. "It was only in middle school that I started folkstyle."
A star at Centennial … and beyond
Kirk Smith's wrestling career really took off at Centennial High School in Boise. Coached by Collin Robertson (a Boise State wrestler who won the Pac-10 conference title at 149 pounds in 2002), Kirk was a four-time finalist at the Idaho state tournament, winning the state title twice -- his junior and senior years.
While at Centennial, Kirk earned fifteen All-American awards, including four national championships. Just before starting his senior year, he earned the gold medal at the FILA Junior National Championships -- what he labels as "my biggest accomplishment. A couple close friends also won, which made it much more memorable."
In his final year of high school, Kirk Smith was considered to be one of the top prep wrestlers in the country, and the top-ranked grappler at 171 pounds. He was also named to the national high school Dream Team his senior year.
Kirk Smith also demonstrated excellence off the mat as well. He earned an incredible 3.8 grade point average in high school.
Right at home in Boise
With his impressive wrestling and academic credentials, it's little wonder that a number of top college programs tried to lure Kirk Smith away from his home state of Idaho.
Kirk Smith"I had known the folks at Boise State for a long time, especially (assistant coach) Chris Owens … I knew that I could trust the coaches and the program. I feel you have to believe in the coaches and the program, and have complete trust in them."
"I got to talk to my brother Nick when he was at Virginia," Kirk continues. (Nick transferred from the University of Virginia to Boise State after the 2005-06 season.) He talked about the good things about being away, but also talked about homesickness and the challenges of being a long way from home. It was good to talk to him and others, and get their thoughts."
In sharing his perspective on recruiting Kirk Smith, coach Greg Randall says, "We went up against some big-time programs, including Minnesota … We were thrilled when he verbally committed to us."
"Getting to see my parents each week, having Sunday dinner with them, you can't beat that," says Kirk.
A matter of style
When asked to describe his wrestling style for his interview, Kirk Smith responds, "It depends on how a guy wants to wrestle me. If he wants to handfight, I can do that …"
Greg RandallAsk Coach Randall about Kirk Smith's wrestling style, and he says, "He's very strong for his age. Very seasoned, very consistent. Not flashy, not unorthodox. Tough to take down. Tough on top."
"We're working with him to work on scoring �- to get more takedowns, more scoring holds."
"He always leads his match. He has never had to come from behind."
In terms of attitude, Kirk Smith says, "I think of myself as hardnosed, getting after the guy, wrestling tough against the opponent."
Greg Randall cites additional attitudinal attributes: "He's a consistent trainer year �round. Works out every day. Mature beyond his age. Weight is solid, never an issue. Loves to wrestle, loves to work out. His attitude rubs off on everybody in the room."
"He also works hard in the classroom. In his first semester here, he got a 3.0."
What's next
Ask Kirk Smith what the highlight of his first year in college, and he responds without hesitation, "No highlights yet. The season's far from over. I've got to fulfill my goals of winning the Pac-10 conference title, and the nationals."
"I'm no different than any other wrestler," Kirk continues. "I want to be the best I can be. I want to win the nationals multiple times."
"I'd like to wrestle worldwide, and get back into freestyle. But it has to be in the cards. I'll wait and see."
Beyond his on-the-mat career, the Exercise Science major says, "I would like to be a coach. I'm learning how the human body works, and how to help an athlete bring out the best."
When asked about what makes a good coach, Kirk says, "Know when to be hard, but also know when to be a friend. To know your wrestlers in and outside the room -- where they need to be, what they need to work on, their mental process. Never be satisfied with what you've done."
Kirk Smith is excited about the future -- not just his own, but also that of the Boise State Broncos. "We're going to open some eyes in the next couple years."
Judging from the buzz generated among college wrestling fans across the nation since winning the 184-pound title at the 2007 Southern Scuffle, it's safe to say that Kirk Smith has already opened some eyes.
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