By Rich Palzewic
Sports Editor
Name: Blake Linsmeyer
School: Seymour
Sports: Cross country, wrestling, track and field
Parents: James and Katie
Blake Linsmeyer is a senior at Seymour High School.
He’s a three-sport athlete in cross country, wrestling and track and field.
Linsmeyer said the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and Ripon College are possible destinations after high school, and he plans to run cross country at the next level.
His hobbies include hunting, fishing and camping.
Tell me about your family.
“My younger sister Madison is in the seventh grade, my younger brother Owen is a fourth-grader, my mom grew up in Seymour and my dad is from Pulaski.”
Do you come from a sports family?
“Madison does volleyball and softball, Owen does football, baseball and wrestling and my mom ran track and cross country in high school.”
How does it feel to be one of the only schools going forward with sports this fall?
“It feels good to be back competing after a long time off.”
You’ve done three sports year-round at Seymour your entire high school career – explain what that’s been like.
“You don’t have an offseason because each sport moves right into the next. It’s a grind, and you have to be dedicated enough to go through all three sports. Track and cross country are similar, but wrestling is different.”
Did you think you’d get a chance to run cross country this fall?
“I trained all summer hoping we’d have a season, knowing I’d train anyway, even if we didn’t have a season.”
Is there a sport you wanted to try at Seymour?
“I think golf would have been fun.”
What’s it like running for Coach Scott Michalski?
“It’s great running for him. He pushes us to our limit and knows what we need to do to get to where we want to be. He treats us like we are his children. It’s like a big family at Seymour.”
What are your goals for the season?
“Both as a team and individually, we’d like to make it to state if they have it. My main goal is to win the Bay Conference meet. We have a strong team this season.”
What’s your most memorable sports moment?
“Running at the Shawano Invite my sophomore year. We won the meet overall, beating our conference rivals Shawano and New London by three points each. The five runners on our team all set personal records to beat them.”
What are your track and field events?
“I do the mile, the 800 and the 2-mile relay.”
Let’s talk wrestling. What weight class have you competed in?
“My freshman year I was 106 pounds, the next season I wrestled at 126 and last year I was 132.”
How do you rate as a wrestler?
“I feel I’m above average – not the best, not the worst. I try to get the job done for the team.”
Are there similarities between running and wrestling?
“You need lots of endurance for each sport. In a wrestling match, you need to go the full six minutes, and in a cross country race, you need to push through the entire 5 kilometers. All sports are mental, but you have to have a good mindset going in.”
What will be your course of study in college?
“Sports medicine or becoming a chiropractor.”
Where do you envision yourself in 15 years?
“Hopefully, owning a chiropractor business, having a family and living in Seymour.”
What will you miss about Seymour?
“I’ll miss the friends I’ve made and going to all the sporting events I’ve attended.”
How will you be remembered at Seymour?
“As a well-rounded athlete and a great student.”
Favorites
Foods: Macaroni and cheese, pizza
Restaurants: Culvers, Red Robin
Ice cream: Vanilla with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups
Television show: “The Office”
Subject: Physics
Month: July