NORFOLK, Va. - ODU wrestling alumni Matt Small graduated in 2003 and went on to a career as a not only a teacher, but a successful wrestling leader and coach in the local wrestling community.
Q: Along with being a wrestling coach, how else are you involved in the Chesapeake School District?
I have been a special education teacher for the past 15 years (13 in Chesapeake and 2 in Virginia Beach).
Q: Wrestling for Steve Martin in high school, what was the best piece of advice he gave you?
Wrestling under Coach Martin had a profound impact on my life. He taught me that you are going to have to work extremely hard and be extremely dedicated if you want to achieve anything in life. Things very rarely, if at all, will be given to you and that you can’t make excuses or feel sorry for yourself when things don’t go your way. You need to trust the process and keep working towards bigger things.
Q: Being a coach now, what’s the biggest difference between being a wrestler and the coach?
I would say the biggest difference is being of service to others. As a competitor you might care how your team is doing, but your main focus is on your individual training and your individual performance. As a coach, it isn’t about me (the individual), it’s about them. I need to know what they need to perform at a high level, to show progress, and how am I going to go about implementing different training plans and techniques.
Q: What’s the best thing you learned in the wrestling room that you use in daily life now?
That life is about your ability to maintain healthy relationships. You as the individual make the final choices and decisions, but it is the people around you that provide you the information to draw your own map to navigate this world. As a wrestler, I was fortunate enough to be around some great coaches and wrestlers and I achieved what I achieved because of that. As a coach, I surround myself with other great coaches and wrestlers that genuinely care about making people better and as a result our teams are successful. It has been my experience that the healthier the relationships the more successful you will become. You simply can’t go through life trying to do it all by yourself or in constant turmoil with other people. Success may come to the individual(s), but underneath that it took multiple people to make that come to fruition.
Q: What’s your biggest accomplishment as either a wrestler or coach?
My biggest accomplishment is that I became a wrestling coach and that I am still involved in this sport after all of these years. To be a wrestler or a coach, there is an enormous volume of work that you have to put in to be successful and it is tough to do year in and year out. Most people can’t handle that workload. Furthermore, people fail to realize that this sport is tough no matter what role you have in it. It’s tough on everyone; the families, fans, coaches, athletes, refs, etc. I think if I were to not be involved in the sport, I would miss overcoming those tough times and seeing the success on the other side. I mean the titles you win are great, it’s a goal every year, but sometimes just getting your team through those hard times during the season is an accomplishment. I think we all need to remember those times in our pursuit of excellence.
Q: What’s your favorite memory from ODU?
Man! There were some good times with some great people. I think I’ll just leave it at that!!