Scott Schulte
A good friend of mine, Scott Schulte, who also just so happens to be a real-life Granddaddy himself is living the life and principles of my Granddaddy’s Secrets!
Let me explain. Scott, like myself and so many other guys grew up idolizing the greatest Olympic wrestler ever, Dan Gable from Iowa. Like so many of us, Scott bought posters of Dan Gable and hung them up all over his bedroom walls dreaming of someday meeting this legend. Well, one summer while Scott was in high school Dan Gable came to Scott’s home state of Connecticut to put on a wrestling clinic for the young wrestlers in the area.
Of course Scott attended this wrestling clinic, and of all the young eager wrestlers there that day Dan Gable picked Scott to be the demonstration dummy that he would throw around in front of everyone to teach his Gold Medal winning techniques. Not exactly the dream come true encounter that Scott was imagining, but all the same, he was honored to be a part of it! Any boy there would have been ecstatic to be picked by Dan Gable. While Dan Gable was demonstrating his techniques on Scott, Dan Gable showed a move to counter an opponent’s sit out. This move consisted of Dan Gable stepping over, hooking a leg, and then cross-facing Scott to his back. Dan Gable stressed how important it is to practice all of these moves over and over and over again because some day they will come in handy.
This lesson was not lost on Scott, even as he struggled to breathe and see the lights on the ceiling from his back while Dan Gable held him pinned to the mat. Scott would practice this series of moves over and over again for the next several years. Then finally during his senior year in high school, Scott was wrestling in the State Championship Finals. The score was tied 2-2 when his opponent sat out on him and at that very moment Scott know that all that hard consistent practice was about to pay off and he was going to win this state championship match. Scott stepped over, hooked his opponent’s leg, and cross-faced him right to his back just like his hero Dan Gable had taught him so long ago. Dan Gable said it would work if it was practiced long enough, and of course Dan Gable was right. Scott was now an 18 year old Connecticut State Champion wrestler because he paid the price for success up front and did the preliminary work that is necessary to later on earn the victory.
Many years later Scott, the former state champ wrestler is still enjoying his passion- wrestling and attended the 2012 Olympic Wrestling Trails. Scott is at the Olympic trials and thus far has been able to successfully transfer his hard work ethic and confidence in himself as a wrestler to becoming a pretty successful newspaper and magazine story writer. While at the 2012 Olympic Wrestling Trials, 30 years after Scott used Dan Gable’s wrestling move to become a state champ, Scott sees his childhood hero Dan Gable again. Scott can’t help it, but his heart jumps out of his chest and lands right in the middle of his throat. And, just as my Granddaddy’s Secrets would have wanted Scott to do, Scott pushes aside his fear and insecurities and approaches the greatest wrestler and wrestling coach of all time about doing an article on his family. Dan Gable say yes and Scott can’t believe the chance that he just took paid off so handsomely. Scott next does the unthinkable and ask Dan Gable if he can write a book about him once the magazine article is done.
For quite some time, Scott has wanted to branch out from writing magazines and newspaper articles to authoring books. And although he has always had the backing of his own parents, especially his father, he had still failed to take action because he was still worried about taking that leap of faith from something that he knows, writing articles, to something he doesn’t know, writing books. Well, guess what? As my Granddaddy has said before, 
the world favors the bold. Dan Gabel said YES!
Childhood dreams do come true. Delays are not denials. Scott had wanted to meet and spend quality time with his childhood hero forever. In addition, for a long time Scott had also wanted to write a book. And now he is doing both and living his dream as a 50-year old granddaddy. Scott is a living example that you are never too old to live out the dreams of your youth. You just have to make sure that you never stop dreaming your dream. Scott overcame his fears and refused to let his dreams wither away like his former speed and explosiveness of his youth. Most people would have given up on their childhood dreams way before becoming a granddaddy. Scott is the exception and should be acknowledged and praised for his perseverance and his ability to keep dreaming the dream. He is a living example for all of us.
In addition, Scott has stressed that he wants everyone to know that he didn’t create this stroke of luck all on his own. His parents always supported him and encouraged him to pursue his dreams, even at the age of 50. Dan Gable and his entire family have been extremely generous and very accessible to Scott in his quest to gather stories that he needed for the book. And it should be noted that Dan Gable is a quiet, reserved type of guy. But when he speaks you better be listening or you are going to miss something incredible!
Scott is now living the dreams of his youth. We too can live the dreams of our youth if we learn to better understand what Scott and Dan Gable already know. First, never give up. Keep going. Stop at never. Next, no matter how old you are, or what you have accomplished, please realize that you still have more work to do.
Dan Gable is already one of those Granddaddies that are highly accomplished and has fully lived his life. Dan Gable is now standing formidably in the shadows watching this next generation. Scott has now just joined Dan Gable and is standing there proudly beside him with my Granddaddy and countless other Granddaddies that have lived life, made their dreams come true, and are now watching and expecting a lot out of this next generation. Don’t disappoint these great men!
You can get Scott Schulte’s new book on Dan Gable called, A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable at all major distributors, including Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Scott’s Website at: www.Schultewriter.com. I have read it. I loved it! And you will too!
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