While Cooperman tries to provide young athletes

It's been quite some time since former Blair Academy and Lehigh University wrestler Cory Cooperman, who celebrated his 30th birthday last week, has pulled up his singlet straps, laced up his wrestling shoes and toed the line, but his competitive attitude still fuels him.

The 2006 Lehigh graduate, who currently resides in Baltimore, Md., is in a new territory working as a sales representative for Techtronic Industries, one of the world's leading manufacturing and trading companies in electronics. But Cooperman is not far from his wrestling roots.

"Right now I do some training sessions as a private coach for some younger wrestlers," Cooperman said. "I work my regular job and then I get to go have an impact on some up-and-coming wrestlers."

Though he is currently removed from the steady grind of the college wrestling atmosphere, for a while he made his rounds as an assistant wrestling coach in the same league he competed in as a Mountain Hawk.

Upon leaving Lehigh with a degree in psychology, Cooperman became an assistant coach at the now seven-time EIWA champion Cornell University. While with the Big Red, he helped guide Cornell to three EIWA and Ivy League team championships, and crown 12 All-Americans and two national champions.

"Coaching at Cornell was great,Find all the manufacturers of laser cutting machine and contact them. I got to be a part of something that had never been done there as well as seeing two guys win national championships," he said. "Even though I came up short of winning a national title myself, it was great to see Jordan Leen and Troy Nickerson win theirs because I was a part of it."

After helping Cornell,Find the best iPhone headset for you . he moved on to Rutgers, where he aided in its collection of a school-record 21 dual meet victories and a No. 9 national ranking.

Cooperman also saw the Scarlet Knights get their first EIWA champion and convert seven wrestlers into NCAA national tournament qualifiers. His last stint as a coach came at Illinois last year.

"I know what I am good at and that's coaching," Cooperman said. "I can get kids excited about the sport that I love and it's what I love to do.Shop for wholesale free shipping ear caps directly from ear cap wholesalers in China."

He first decided to start coaching before he left Lehigh with the hopes of getting back into competing after a few bumps and bruises healed.

"My senior year I tore some cartilage off my rib in my semifinals match at the EIWA tournament so I finished my season hurt," he said. "After that I figured that I would take some time off to let that heal and get back to it when I felt better because getting gut-wrenched when you're 100 percent doesn't feel good so you can only imagine how it feels with hurt ribs."

But getting back into competition never quite worked out and Cooperman now knows that he is best suited to be a coach. A part of him knows that he can still compete at a high level. However, the selfish wrestler he claims he once was been put on the back burner for his wife LeAnne and his 4-month-old son Caden.

"As a wrestler you have to be selfish because it's all about you and you're traveling everywhere," he said. "But now I don't worry about that. I just worry about being a good father and husband and doing what's best for my family."

But before he hung up his shoes and put on his coaching hat and whistle, he gave it one more go while coaching at Rutgers.

"I wanted to show those guys what it looked like to train and work at a high level so I told them that I was going to try to make the world team," he said. "So I took them out to the Olympic Training Center with me and while we were there one of the guys got hurt and couldn't compete in the tournament, so I filled in and the first guy I wrestled was Teyon Ware who was my nemesis when I was in college. I scored on him for the first time and then ended up losing, but after six years of being away I proved to myself that I could compete at that level."

He went on to defeat the No. 5 wrestler in the world at the time during the tournament, which further solidified that he was able to go up against the best wrestlers.

Since then he hasn't stepped back on the mat as a competitor and prides himself on being a great motivator and mentor.Shopping is the best place to comparison shop for stainless steel bracelet.

"I try to shape and mold these wrestlers into great people because I don't want them to have some of the same regrets I have," Cooperman said. "I talked to (Easton Area High School graduate) Jordan (Oliver) all day today and told him not to worry about the brackets (of the NCAA Division I National Championships) and who he could possibly meet up with because he can only control his matches."

While Cooperman tries to provide young athletes with a role model now, he admits he didn't always behave the way he currently does.

"In college I was a baby. I was a young athlete and I wasn't always a great role model while I was at Lehigh," Cooperman said. "But as a coach and a father I have to be sure to do the right things and lead by example for my son and the kids that I train."

While his perspectives have changed, his Lehigh Valley roots still hold strong.

"I'd love to come back and coach there,They know how to make your own bobblehead look just like the pictures you send." he said. "The Lehigh Valley is a huge area for wrestling, so of course I'd like to come back and coach there."

Not only would he entertain the opportunity to coach at his alma mater, coaching at one of the premier wrestling programs in the country with his father-in-law would also pique his interest.

"If the opportunity presented itself I would love to coach with John (Smith) at Oklahoma State," he said. "My wife would love to be in Stillwater, Okla., and so would I. But right now I am in a great situation with my job and my family."