Column: Bloomington natives Kinser, Young born to wrestle for Hoosiers

“Unless you have prepared yourself and deserve to emerge victorious, do not expect to be disappointed when you lose.”

Those words line one side of the IU wrestling room and epitomize the mindset of its two hometown heroes. 

From second grade through Bloomington High School South, and now as they begin their senior season, Kurt Kinser and Paul Young have been groomed to be on the mat.

Bloomington South coach Royce Deckard is a distant cousin of Kinser, and Kinser’s father is a former Indiana High School State Champion.

One of seven siblings, Young began his tenure on the mat when his oldest brother brought the sport home one day, and the rest of the boys followed suit.

The Young boys have produced five state championships with Paul claiming back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006.

Having watched Kinser and Young throughout their younger days, Deckard said the will to win was always there.

“I had seen both of them wrestle in the freestyle and have known them ever since they were real little kids,” Deckard said. “I watched them grow and develop, and they both had great potential.”

After establishing themselves on the varsity scene for the Panthers, the two capped off their high school careers with individual state championships.

“We wrestle eight of the top 15 schools in the state, so they took a few knocks but kept working at it,” Deckard said. “To be under the lights at the state tournament is fabulous, and to see those two guys out there one weight class and then the next weight class, it’s a great feeling. I have had 17 state championships, and there is nothing like it.”

It only seemed fitting that upon graduating from high school, Kinser and Young would continue wrestling at IU.

Both wrestlers, coach Duane Goldman said, and the opportunity to continue to build the IU program were the key factors in staying in Bloomington.

“We recruited them because they were some of the top guys in the country and obviously we felt they could be that here,” Goldman said.

After redshirting during their freshman campaigns, both wrestlers have advanced to multiple NCAA Championships while being staples in the middle of the Hoosiers’ lineup.

With both wrestlers in the middleweights, Goldman said there are a few striking similarities that overshadow the differences in their styles on the mat.

“Paul is more of a leg attack guy whereas Kurt is more upper-body,” Goldman said. “They are both extremely hard workers and competitive and both really strong.

“They actually have a lot more similarities than differences, which you might not know it by watching them wrestle. But their similarities far outweigh their differences, and thank goodness those are all great qualities.”

This offseason, Kinser and Young were faced with the dilemma of whether or not to cut down a weight class before the season.

However, Young was not going to cut down into Kinser’s 157-pound weight class if his longtime friend did not want to make the move as well.

“They both went down a weight class this year, and that was a mutual thing too,” Goldman said. “Paul wasn’t going to cut unless Kurt went down, and Kurt decided to go down, so Paul decided to do the same.”

It should come as no surprise to anyone that their coach shares the same aspirations as his senior leaders.

“They are great friends, and they are also great teammates,” Goldman said. “Our only goal for them is to become national champions because our goals are their goals, and those are their goals.”

Both Deckard and Goldman echoed the same sentiments regarding the leadership and hard work shown by their former and present wrestlers.

The No. 6-ranked Kinser and No. 6-ranked Young were born to be wrestlers, and as they enter their final seasons as Hoosiers, they obviously have the same goal.

“I thought this place gave me the best chance to win a national championship, which has been my goal since I was little,” Young said.

Kinser echoed Young’s sentiment.

“You always want to win everything,” Kinser said. “I don’t see why you would want to wrestle if you weren’t aiming for a national championship.”

The quote can’t be missed inside the IU wrestling room, but now the real question becomes whether or not the name “Kinser” or “Young” will be etched on the board outside the room as the next Hoosier All-American.

E-mail: kdbowen@indiana.edu