Think you know Spencer Lee?
Knowledgeable wrestling fans can recite the Pennsylvania high school senior's career highlights, won-loss records and other statistics. But ... it's not always as easy to get a sense of the young man beyond wrestling.
Now fans can spend an hour with the mat phenom -- and get a behind-the-scenes look at his life on and off the mat -- thanks to the new documentary "Spencer Lee" now available for viewing.
First, a word about Spencer Lee
Spencer Lee is the nation's No. 1 overall wrestler in the Class of 2017 ... and, in fact, has been ever since he enrolled at Franklin Regional High School in Pennsylvania. A three-time PIAA (Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association) state champ, Lee had a perfect 145-0 record going into the 2017 Class 3A 126-pound state championship finals ... but lost to Austin DeSanto of Exeter, 6-5. It was later revealed that Lee wrestled with a torn ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).
Prep accomplishments aside, Spencer Lee's greatest success has been in freestyle ... first, at national events, then on the world stage. He has won a Cadet world title, followed by two Junior world titles.
The "Spencer Lee" documentary focuses on that third world championship, held in Macon, France ... the native country of his mother Cathy, a 1992 Olympic judo alternate. (Spencer's father Larry was a U.S. judo coach.)
Jeff UpsonJeff Upson, the man behind the "Spencer Lee" documentary, is a name familiar to many wrestling fans with his PA Power Wrestling website which covers the sport in Pennsylvania. Originally from Harrisburg, Upson started wrestling at age 10 ... eventually wrestling for Central Dauphin High School and coach Jeff Sweigert. (To provide a timeframe, Upson told InterMat, "When I was a senior, Walter Peppelman was a freshman ... There was lots of talent in the program.")
"I grew up around wrestling," Upson continued. "I went to the state tournament with my dad -- a wrestler at Trinity High -- as a kid ... I consider myself to be a student of the sport."
"I started to do wrestling rankings while in high school. The PA Power Wrestling website was an outgrowth of my original rankings." (Upson's original rankings website was launched in 2004 ... two years before he graduated from high school.)
If maintaining an amateur wrestling website within one of the nation's top states for the sport weren't enough, Upson is also a Pittsburgh police officer. Prior to entering law enforcement, Upson graduated from West Virginia University in May 2010 with a Bachelor's in Criminology and Investigations ... then spent one year in London, England where he completed a Master's degree in International Criminology, maintaining his PAPowerWrestling.com website throughout.
How the film came about
"Spencer Lee" is the first film project for Jeff Upson.
When asked for how the idea to make a documentary came about, Upson responded, "I got to know Spencer and his dad Larry.
"Spencer was a big name even as a youth wrestler. I really got to know him in high school," Upson continued. "We formed a close relationship."
"It's amazing how mature he is ... As a police officer, I see young people who are struggling."
"Spencer had set his sights on the World Championships in France," said Upson. "His mother is from France, and he had traveled with his family there many times. (For that reason) it was sentimental for him and the whole Lee family as he was going for his third world title."
Lee was not expecting a coronation in his mom's home country.
"He was coming off an injury -- a torn labrium at the previous Worlds," according to Upson. "He missed 75-80 percent of his high school junior year season."
Spencer Lee with Eric Knopsnyder and Jeff Upson at the Junior World Championships in Macon, FranceJeff Upson had the opportunity to be able to come along with the Lee family to the Junior World Championships in Macon, France ... accompanied by wrestling journalist Eric Knopsnyder.
"Once we knew he qualified for the Worlds, we approached the family about going along to France to tell (Spencer's) story."
"I was able to go to France, film the action, and have it put together," said Upson. "I realized I needed someone with a background in film who knew wrestling to edit it."
More than mat action
The "Spencer Lee" documentary's prime focus is on the Pennsylvania mat phenom in action at the World Championships. However, the film also includes interviews with Lee's parents and his twin sister Gaby ... as well as those who know him well in the wrestling world, including his club coach Jody Strittmatter and University of Iowa head assistant coach Terry Brands. ("Spencer Lee" shows the wrestler signing his letter of intent to wrestle for the Hawkeyes.)
In addition to having family and coaches weigh in, the documentary includes considerable time interviewing the young man whose name is in the title. In these individual interviews Spencer Lee comes across as wise beyond his years ... thoughtful ... and incredibly down-to-earth. All very impressive for a high school athlete once labeled by a Pennsylvania media outlet prior to the 2017 state championships as "undoubtedly one of the greatest wrestlers in the world."
"He's so mature for his age," said filmmaker Jeff Upson. "A marked contrast to the negative aspects we see in some high school athletes."
"Spencer is very driven, very competitive," Upson continued. "But he has a good head on his shoulders. I think it helped that, earlier in his life, he also competed in other sports."
"I wanted to give Spencer an opportunity to have his goodness shine through. (In this film) you're not just seeing him as a wrestler but also as a human being."
Spencer Lee competing at the Junior World ChampionshipsLarry Lee, Spencer's father, said, "The film is a blueprint for parents raising young athletes."
"Spencer Lee" has plenty of wrestling-related footage -- from practice sessions as well as from actual matches -- for fans who want to see one of the greats doing what he does best. However, what distinguishes this documentary is its off-the-mat aspects -- the interviews with Lee's family and his coaches, along with thoughtful comments from the subject of the film -- that really set "Spencer Lee" apart, and make it must viewing for young wrestlers, their parents and coaches to see and hear a true class act that any wrestler would be wise to emulate.
"Spencer Lee" is available for viewing online now. Wrestling fans can watch it for $9.99 at Amazon Prime ... or for $6 at the PA Power Wrestling website.
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