Fredy Stroker at the Pennsylvania junior state qualifierIt is rare for a wrestler as accomplished as Stroker, who is ranked as the No. 13 junior high wrestler in the country by InterMat, to leave wrestling-rich Pennsylvania shortly before his high school career begins. But Stroker's move, unlike many other top wrestlers who transfer, is not all about wrestling. It is only a piece of the puzzle.
From Panama to Pennsylvania
Fredy Stroker was born in Panama on Aug. 29, 1996, while his father, Fred, a Pennsylvania native, was serving in the military in Panama. His mother, Anabel, was born and raised in Panama.
Six months later, the family moved to Charleston, S.C. because of Stroker's father's military work. In 2000, the family moved again, to Fort Leavenworth, Kans. A year later, the Strokers moved to Virginia Beach, Va. For Stroker, who was 4 years old at the time, it was the life of an Army brat.
It is in Virginia Beach where Stroker was first introduced to wrestling while in kindergarten.
Fredy Stroker with his very first medal in 2003Stroker's taekwondo training, a sport in which he earned a black belt, helped with the transition to wrestling.
"There was some overlap between taekwondo and wrestling," said Stroker's father, Fred. "As all kids are, Fredy was very active. The taekwondo really taught him focus."
Stroker won a medal in the very first wrestling tournament he entered in Virginia Beach, finishing third out of four wrestlers. From that point on, he was hooked on the sport.
After his first grade year, Stroker began spending his summers in Western Pennsylvania, staying with his grandparents, and attending wrestling camps, like Rob Waller's All-American Wrestling Camp in Latrobe. Stroker was rolling around with some of the most accomplished youth wrestlers in Pennsylvania ... like Jimmy Gulibon, Solomon Chishko, Jason Nolf, Michael Kemerer, and Sammy Krivus. While in Virginia, he was wrestling in a club called Pin2Win with Brandon Jeske and Joey Dance. At the Cox Wrestling Club, Stroker remembers practicing alongside a future NCAA Division I champion.
"I remember always doing sprints right next to Bubba Jenkins when he was only in ninth and tenth grade," said Stroker. "He was like the superstar."
Fredy Stroker wins his second Virginia state title"He was a good soccer player," said his father. "He gave up soccer because wrestling was going into March, April, and May. That's the prime time for traveling soccer in Virginia."
The summer training in Pennsylvania was paying off in competition. Stroker won Virginia elementary state titles in both in 2005 and 2006. He was named Outstanding Wrestler both years.
Making his mark in the Keystone State
Pennsylvania has long been king of the wrestling world. The numbers don't lie. In the final InterMat high school rankings of the 2010-11 season, Pennsylvania had 39 nationally-ranked wrestlers, which was 13 more than any other state. At this year's NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships, Pennsylvania produced 10 All-Americans, which was four more than any other state. At this year's Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, a team comprised of Pennsylvania All-Stars defeated a team comprised of USA All-Stars. This year's NCAA Division I team champion, Penn State, also came from the Keystone State.
Fredy Stroker with his father, FredIn 2006, Stroker's father had military orders to go to the Middle East (Kuwait), so he moved the family to the Western Pennsylvania town of Greensburg, a city that sits on the Allegheny Plateau in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, and only a few miles from where Stroker had been spending his summers with his grandparents.
Stroker wrestled in his first Pennsylvania junior (PJW) state tournament in 2007, finishing runner-up in the 10-and-under, 75-pound division.
After spending a year in the Middle East, Stroker's father returned to the U.S. and accepted a position at the U.S. Army War College in South Central Pennsylvania, and the family settled in Mechanicsburg, Pa.
"I never imagined that I would get stationed in Pennsylvania," said Stroker's father. "I knew I wanted to be there for wrestling, but I just never imagined there would be a career opportunity for me in Pennsylvania."
Fredy Stroker with Rob WallerWaller, who is now in his 60s, is one of the most respected wrestling minds not only in Pennsylvania, but across the country. He speaks his mind and coaches with his heart. Waller is a member of the Western Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame, Pennsylvania Wrestling Hall of Fame, and National Wrestling Hall of Fame. His son, Robbie, was an NCAA Division I champion at Oklahoma in 2003 and is currently the head wrestling coach at Lock Haven.
"He's a great teacher and technician," Stroker said of Rob Waller Sr. "He's one of my favorite coaches. He goes over stuff a lot. He doesn't let you go on to the next move until you have mastered it. He goes over all the basics."
Fredy Stroker at the MAWA Eastern Nationals"When you're young, it's crucial that you learn your fundamentals right because it will adversely affect you," said Waller, an Olympic Team Trials finalist in 1972 and 1976. "It's like the first three or four years of school ... If you don't get that stuff down right, you suffer forever. It's no different in wrestling. Your fundamentals are crucial in any sport ... I don't care if it's pingpong. I believe champions do the common things uncommonly well."
In 2009, Stroker reached the PJW finals before losing to a wrestler he had beaten in the area finals. He also earned the American Crown Award, which is given to a wrestler who wins three America Crown national tournaments in the same season.
In 2010, Stroker finally captured a PJW state title, a title that had eluded him the previous three years.
Fredy Stroker wins a PJW state title in 2010Stroker finished third at this year's PJW state tournament, losing only to Sammy Krivus, another nationally-ranked junior high wrestler, 1-0, in the quarterfinals. He also competed in freestyle and Greco-Roman for the first time in his career this spring.
"It's a little bit of a change," Stroker said of wrestling the international styles. "You have to know where you are at all times. You have to keep good position so you don't expose your back."
Despite his limited experience in freestyle and Greco-Roman, Stroker became a double champion at the PAWF Freestyle and Greco-Roman State Championships, which took place May 20-22.
Moving to Iowa and starting his high school career
Last November, Stroker's father, a lieutenant colonel, logistics officer in the Army with 21 years of active service, was notified of an open position at the Rock Island Arsenal in Rock Island, Illinois.
Fredy Stroker working from the top positionSo the Strokers made the decision to leave Pennsylvania and move to the Quad Cities, an area that straddles the Mississippi River on the Iowa-Illinois boundary. Stroker will begin his high school career this fall at Bettendorf High School, which is six miles from the Rock Island Arsenal where Stroker's father will be working. Bettendorf is a high school wrestling power that finished this past season ranked 12th in the InterMat Fab 50.
"We'll have a pretty good lineup," said Stroker, who will likely compete at 106 pounds as a freshman barring a growth spurt. "I think I'm going to fit in well. We have a good coach (Dan Knight) who went to Iowa State. He was a four-time state champion in the state of Iowa and went undefeated."
Stroker will compete for Team Pennsylvania at Cadet Nationals (Fargo) in late July before moving to Iowa at the end of the summer.
So how does Stroker feel about all the moving?
Fredy Stroker wins OW at the 2011 Wilson JH ClassicStroker's father says that he would have loved to keep the family in Pennsylvania, but has held tight to advice Waller gave him a long time ago.
"Waller said, 'Look, there are good people everywhere. Just make sure he's around the best wherever you go.' That was something I preached to Fredy."
Waller clarified what he meant by that statement.
"I meant that two ways," said Waller. "Number one, good people as in good human beings, character people. Number two, if you can get that, and they know how to wrestle, then you have a great combination. I think where he's going it's like that ... good character people and they know how to wrestle. They'll add to Fred's style. When Fred's 18, he'll probably do what I taught him when he was 10. He's just going to do it better."
So who is Fredy Stroker?
Fredy Stroker is a typical teenage kid who enjoys playing Xbox, watching movies, and hanging out with friends. Wrestling, though, is his passion.
Fredy Stroker is presented with the American Crown AwardBut according to his father, you would never know it if you were in school with him.
"His teachers tell me they wouldn't even know he wrestled," said Stroker's father. "That's just his personality. His sister wears more of his wrestling t-shirts than he does."
Waller lights up when describing Fredy Stroker.
"Fred's a great kid, a little mischievous," said Waller. "He's got that little smile about him. I tease him all the time. I love the kid. He's a great kid."
Stroker not only enjoys competing, but also enjoys watching the best wrestlers compete. He has attended the PIAA State Wrestling Championships since he was a little boy. He attended the sold-out Iowa vs. Penn State dual meet this past season in Happy Valley. Stroker also attended the 2011 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships in Philadelphia, where he got to see one of the wrestlers he admires win an NCAA title.
Fredy Stroker at the 2011 NCAAs in PhiladelphiaSo how does Stroker describe his own wrestling style?
"I always attack on my feet," said Stroker. "I'm always shooting. I like to clear ties and go. I'm real fast. On top, I'm real brutal with the crossface cradle. I can usually turn almost anyone with it."
As for his wrestling goals, Stroker has short-term and long-term wrestling goals.
"My short term goal right now is to be a state champion in Iowa," said Stroker. "My long-term goal is to be an NCAA champion."
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