March 9, 2021

Episode 125 - The Grit of Being World Champion with Lee Kemp

by Hacker Valley Studio

March 9, 2021

Episode 125 - The Grit of Being World Champion with Lee Kemp

by Hacker Valley Studio

Show Notes

Our special guest this episode is Lee Kemp, a three time World Champion in Wrestling (1978, 1979 and 1982 all in the 74 kg weight class) and held the record for being the youngest World Champion. In addition to being a champion wrestler, Lee is a father, a wrestling coach, a public speaker, and an author. He learned many of the skill sets needed to navigate his life on the mat. A child of the 60’s, he was adopted at the age of 5, before adoption learned how to find his own contentment in the situation he was in. From a young age Lee learned how to focus on what’s important and tackle whatever he needed to get done.

Lee’s childhood with his adoptive family involved a lot of hard work. His family moved from the city to a rural neighborhood and he worked on a farm. There was a certain strictness his father held, if farm work needed to get done it had to get done. Over the summers of Lee’s youth, he learned about finding contentment in hard work and became comfortable being uncomfortable. Lee started wrestling in high school in the 9th grade and made the varsity team in the 10th grade, his first season in varsity he won as many matches as he lost. The summer between the 10th and the 11th grade year was the turning point for young Lee. He attended a Wrestling Camp that the wrestler Dan Gable was at right before the Olympic games of 1972, what he learned from Dan Gable at that camp became the catalyst for Lee becoming a different wrestler and different person. Lee gained a new mindset from that wrestling camp with Dan Gable. Coach Lee went on to win the state championship as a junior in high school, defeating the defending state champion. 

As the episode progresses, Ron and Chris ask Lee about his philosophies on consistency. Lee describes that at each point in his journey to be a champion wrestler he took every opportunity to learn more about his game and his opponents. While Lee was in wrestling camp with Dan Gable, he was the only willing volunteer that would allow Dan to try out wrestling moves on him. Lee knew that if he could understand how one of the greatest wrestlers performed offensively and defensively he could at a minimum learn something new and potentially incorporate it into his style. Lee’s determination has always been contagious and a positive influence to his community. An example that Lee shares is the story of his wrestling teammate Pat Christenson. Before defeating Dan Gable, Wisconsin had a drought of national champions in wrestling. Pat Christenson shared with Lee after defeating Gable he realized he could aspire to become a world champion also.

Impactful Moments During The Episode

01:30 - Welcome back to the Hacker Valley Studio.

01:56 - Introducing the three time world champion Lee Kemp.

03:04 - A child of the sixties and learning how to give back.

04:18 - Understanding where you come from and learning to be content.

07:01 - Characteristics of grit.

08:43 - Overcoming the biggest roadblock to success.

11:08 - Finding a worthwhile goal as a high school wrestler and learning from the best. 

12:26 - The inflection point towards success for wrestler Lee Kemp

14:24 - The fateful wrestling camp experience of 1972.

16:25 - Watching your camp coach from the summer with Olympic Gold.

17:28 - Lee Kemp finds the opportunity to wrestle against his former wrestling camp Coach, the gold medal winner Dan Gable.

19:05 - How Lee stayed focused on wrestling Gable despite detractors and distractions.

21:20 - Finding a different mindset, finding a different Lee Kemp.

22:51 - Taking little steps of confidence towards goals.

24:11 - Lee Kemp being in the moment wrestling in the last 30 seconds against Gable.

25:53 - From being in the moment to being part of the moment. 

27:30 - The reaction to breaking expectations

29:00 - A rivalry that couldn’t be played out in competition, an unofficial match between Kemp and Gable

31:00 - Moving mountains

32:57 - Inspiring future wrestling champions at University of Wisconsin

34:30 - Having a mindset and attitude for making things possible

36:30 - Thank you for listening to Part 1 of Lee Kemp on Hacker Valley.

 

Links:

Learn more about Lee Kemp and pick up his book Wrestled Away.

Learn more about Hacker Valley Studio.

Support Hacker Valley Studio on Patreon.

Follow Hacker Valley Studio on Twitter.

Follow hosts Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran on Twitter.

Learn more about our sponsor ByteChek.

Read more

Listen Now

test
00:00:00

Recent Episodes

May 30, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

In this cybersecurity podcast episode, Chris Cochran and Ron Eddings discuss the concept of 'dojos' as environments for growth and learning, drawing on experiences from their own career paths in cybersecurity. The 'dojo' metaphor is applied to variou...

May 23, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

Join hosts Ron and Chris as they dive into the world of Attack Surface Management (ASM) in this episode recorded live at RSAC 2023. Special guest Nabil Hannan, a seasoned industry expert and Field CISO at NetSPI, shares his wealth of knowledge and ex...

May 16, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

In this episode, hosts Ron and Chris are joined by Paul Valente, CEO and co-founder of VISO Trust, and Bryan Wong, Sr. Security Analyst at Headspace, as they dive into the world of third-party risk in cybersecurity. With conversations ranging from th...

May 9, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

In this episode, Ron Eddings and Chris Cochran discuss the concept of "paying the piper" and its impact on their careers and personal lives. Paying the piper means facing the consequences of one's actions, whether they are good or bad. Chris shares h...

May 2, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

In this podcast episode, Jack Roehrig, Technology Evangelist at Uptycs, discusses his experience with burnout and health issues due to his job as a Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Jack has always known health is wealth and retired to Mexic...

April 25, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

In this episode, we explore the often-overlooked importance of empathy in the cybersecurity field. Our guest, Tracy Maleeff, shares her personal journey from community involvement to the industry and discusses how embracing empathy can lead to more e...

April 18, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

Head into RSA 2023 with a purpose. This episode is all about how to reach a win-win when sealing deals, getting hired, and networking.If you want to catch up with the Hacker Valley Team during RSA be sure to jump into our discord. You can join by goi...

April 11, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

RSA is right around the corner and we’re so excited because it’s one of our big opportunities to meet with you, our dedicated listener. If you want to catch up with the Hacker Valley Team be sure to jump into our discord. You can join by going to hac...

April 4, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

Join our creative mastermind and stand out as a cybersecurity professional: https://www.patreon.com/hackervalleystudio Become a sponsor of the show to amplify your brand: https://hackervalley.com/work-with-us/ Love Hacker Valley Studio? Pick up some...

March 28, 2023
by Hacker Valley Studio

Special Thanks to our sponsor NetSPI NetSPI has a team of skilled pen-testers that can help you find those critical vulnerabilities and become your partner in creating the right remediation game plan for you. Check them out at http://netspi.com/HVM ...