Oklahoma State University Athletics
Q&A With Freshman Walker Clarke
October 26, 2007 | Cowboy Wrestling
Freshman wrestler Walker Clarke is a local product who came to Oklahoma State from Stillwater HS, where he was a three-time state champion. A three-sport athlete who also played football and baseball for the Pioneers, Clarke compiled a 120-17 record on the mat during his high school career. Okstate.com recently visited with the homegrown Cowboy for a question and answer session.
Having grown up in Stillwater, what are your earliest memories of OSU wrestling?
“When I was younger, I came to a lot of matches. One of the things that I remember is that I used to go down to the old wrestling room and watch some of the guys work out and that's what we wanted to do. We wanted to work out where they worked out and do what they did. We would go to tournaments on weekends and always looked up to those guys. We wanted to train where they trained.”
When did you start wrestling?
“I started wrestling with my friends when we were four and we started doing some of those things when we were eight years old. When my parents would let us run loose a little bit at the matches, I'd go with my friends on the floor or we'd go to the wrestling room and mess around and hang out.”
When did it click for you that wrestling was something in which you had a chance to compete at a very high level?
“I got into it because it's just what I did. I played football in the fall, wrestled in the winter and played baseball in the spring ever since I was 10 and under. When I was in middle school and they wanted me to wrestle junior high, it was one of those things that when I was getting asked to wrestle older guys and I could compete with them if not beat them and that made me a lot better. Once I got into high school and won a state title my freshman year, and that was my world then, it kind of clicked that this was something that I can do.”
What does it mean to you to be a wrestler at the top wrestling program in the nation and still get to stay close to home?
“It can be a little more nerve-wracking, but it also pushes me a little more to succeed. It's nice to be at home and have my family around for support. It was very exciting for me when I signed here because Oklahoma State is the best place to be. It still hasn't really sunk in. It's kind of a haze still.”
Speaking of your signing day, take us through that day and what went through your mind.
“My signing day was real nerve-wracking because it was a big day at our school. Knowing what kind of tradition I was signing up for and the work that I was going to put forward, it was kind of overwhelming. It was almost like it wasn't even happening. They recruit guys from all over the country and here I am living 10 miles away from the college. It was great to be able to just come up here during the recruiting process and talk to Coach whenever and it's great knowing all the people who I grew up with who are excited to see me here and are excited to see me wrestle in Gallagher-Iba.”
Who will it mean the most to when you first step onto the mat at Gallagher-Iba in an OSU uniform?
“It will probably mean the most to me or my dad, because my dad has really been passionate about wrestling. Just bringing me up stressing that mental toughness is a really important thing to have in life and that it can really help you get through things that other people might not be able to get through. He's really excited to have me be where I am at right now, but once I step out on that mat, it will be like a dream come true for him and for myself as well. It will be very exciting for my mom too because she always stressed the importance of school and athletics and that I couldn't have one without the other.”
Who do you wrestle with most days in the wrestling room, and what has the experience been like to be surrounded by such talented teammates?
“I switch it up and wrestle with any of the bigger guys from Jared Rosholt down to Brandon Mason. When we work out, we go hard. Just in the short amount of time that I've been here, it's been an eye-opener because you don't win every time and you can go two or three days without even getting a takedown, but you have to keep coming back over and over and trying to figure out new ways to do it because you know in the end, it's only going to make you better.”
How does going against guys of that caliber in practice help you in the long run?
“The way I look at it is that if I can go hard against a guy who is an All-American now and I'm just a freshman, I'm not worried about some of the other guys from other schools who I will face down the road. I just need to stick to what I do and what I learn here and I'll be in good shape.”
What's it like knowing you're part of the best program in the history of college sports?
“I think everyone wants to be in the room with Oklahoma State because everyone knows that OSU is the best and if you can come in here and compete with this group, then you know you are right up there with the top dogs. You're working out with All-Americans here, not just regular guys. These are the best out there, and they make you better and better every day. Whether you can get a takedown against them or not, you are just feeding off of them and always getting better, which gives you the advantage when you go against guys from other schools.”
