The Observer, February 25, 2005
Volume XXXVII, Issue 19
After facing uncertainty, Protz earns Rookie of the Year
Listening to music and watching sports are major interests for many college students. Like those students, Geoff Protz has an interest in sports and music, but he takes it a step further, playing drums in a band and wrestling here at Case.
Protz, 19, has been wrestling since he was seven years old. He and his brother, Shawn, started wrestling because his father was a wrestler in high school and just wanted his kids to try it. Now, Shawn, 22, is a senior at the University of Pennsylvania and still wrestles.
Music entered Protz's life a little later than wrestling. He identifies middle school as the time when his love of music really took off. He started listening to more music, specifically rock and alternative, and 311 was one of his favorite bands.
Music and wrestling, coupled with school work, dominated most of his time, forcing him to give up baseball and football after the seventh grade. The decision to concentrate on wrestling was a good one, as his wrestling talent became more visible in high school.
During his wrestling career at West Geauga High School, located in Chesterland, Ohio, Protz had his ups and downs. He started strong as a freshman, finishing fifth at sectionals. Then, as a sophomore, he made it all the way to the state meet. Expectations were inevitably high for his junior year, but going into districts he became sick and did not make it to state. Despite being sick at the end of his junior year, he was ranked third in the state at the start of his senior year. Once again he fell ill, but this time with mononucleosis, which finished his season prematurely.
After not finishing the last two seasons of his high school career, Protz was not sure how he would perform at the start of this season at Case.
"I didn't know what to expect," Protz said. "But after the first meet my record was pretty good."
Indeed it was, and it would continue to get better. He became a bright spot during a rough season for the young wrestling team, and, as his record continued to improve, Protz set his goals higher and higher.
Protz reached the peak of his rookie season at the UAA championships. There, in order to win his weight class, he had to beat last year's UAA Rookie of the Year, NYU's Gene Kobilansky. He won on a 9-7 decision, which earned him the 141-pound weight class title and his own Rookie of the Year honors.
It was an outstanding accomplishment for a freshman who entered the semester with uncertainty. In fact, Protz did not even know whether or not he was going to wrestle when he arrived on campus. It was not until after meeting with the coaches and other wrestlers that he realized wrestling competitively was something he wanted to do at Case. His decision has obviously pleased wrestling coach Bob Del Rosa, now in his 42nd year as a wrestling coach at Case. However, Del Rosa is not surprised by what his freshman star performer has accomplished.
"I knew about him from high school and that he was a great wrestler," the coach explained. "He comes from a great wrestling family. Keeping him healthy was the biggest thing, and by doing that, he's done what we expected of him."
Protz's high school coach, Joe Marino, is not surprised by his success, either.
"Talent was never a question with Geoff," Marino said. "His athletic ability and intelligence are fine for college athletics. My only question was if he would be willing to make the time commitment necessary to do sports in college... which he obviously has."
Del Rosa also said that Protz's personality helps him succeed on the mats.
"He's got a great attitude," Del Rosa remarked. "He's a happy-go-lucky type of person, doesn't take himself too seriously, and just goes out and has fun."
The coach is convinced that an even brighter future awaits.
"This year, I'm hoping he'll be a national qualifier," Del Rosa said. "In the future, I think he's capable of being another Zak Kallai and be a two- or three-time All-American. He just needs to stay healthy and peak at the right time."
Marino also agrees, saying that Protz's wrestling style will translate into success at the Division III level.
"His style is right for college wrestling because he slows the pace down and does not allow other wrestlers to try some flashy moves," Marino explained. "He waits for his competitor to make a mistake."
While earning his wrestling accolades, Protz has still found time to advance his musical career. In high school, he and his friends formed a band. Though they never gave themselves an official name, they played together all through high school and played at the Agora. Early in the fall semester, Protz and his friends, still seniors in high school, started a new band. This time they decided on a name: Viadora. Protz describes the band's style as scremo. That is not surprising, con-sidering it is one of his favorite music styles, along with metal and punk. Viadora is currently finishing up their first album, and they plan to start playing shows this spring after the album is completed.
Protz's musical talents are not just on the drums, though. He helps create the melodies and write the lyrics, though he points out that he does not sing. He is also personally mixing and mastering the new CD.
After the season, Protz will have more time to dedicate to the band. However, that time has not arrived just yet, as his first chance to qualify for nationals is this weekend at the Midwest Regional Tournament at Manchester College. The winner of each weight class, along with the second- and third-place finishers in each weight class, qualify for nationals. Protz's goal is to make it to nationals, and he thinks that some other Case wrestlers have a chance to do so as well.
One answered question, though, remains: what color hair will he sport for the event? Both Marino and Del Rosa vote for blond.
"I always go for the natural look," Marino said. "His sandy blond is the best!"
By the end of the tournament, though, Protz hopes that his performance on the mats, not his hair color, is what will be remembered most about his trip to nationals.
Rick Balazs, Sports Editor, con-tributed to this story.
