By JESSIE NEWBURN
Kyle Snyder, who at age 20 was the youngest American wrestler to win a gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, and holds seven senior world championship medals in the sport, is headed to the 2024 Olympics in Paris. And just as they have done throughout his career, his Laurel grandparents, Gayle and Fred Snyder, will be there cheering him on.
“It makes me smile when we go to a big match, even now,” Gayle said, “and I hear people call out, ‘How’s it going, Pop Pop?’ to Fred. Everyone knows he’s Kyle’s ‘Pop Pop.’”
Pop Pop, aka Fred, took Kyle to his first competitive match when his grandson was just 5 years old. As Kyle’s abilities and skills developed, it was Fred who had the time, resources, interest and desire to take Kyle to youth wrestling tournaments around the country.
“Kyle and his grandfather spent a lot of time together going to tournaments,” Gayle said. “Fred was always encouraging Kyle, telling him to do his best, reminding him that he could win if he put his mind to it, and talking about good sportsmanship and respecting others.”
“He loved traveling, staying at hotels and eating out at restaurants,” Fred said. “We had a lot of fun together. Plus, you
Courtesy of Gayle Snyder
see a lot of the same people at these tournaments over the years, and we got to meet a lot of the better wrestlers, coaches, and their parents. It’s a nice group of people very passionate about the sport.”
Beginnings
Growing up in Woodbine, Kyle and his older brother, Stephen, were a rambunctious lot, according to his grandparents, and when their baby brother was born, their parents, Tricia and Stephen Snyder, were looking for ways to “tire the boys out a bit,” Fred said.
Fred, who won the 1963 European high school wrestling championship when attending school at a German military base while his father was stationed there, suggested taking the boys to a wrestling and martial-arts club as a possible solution.
Their parents decided to give it a shot, and off the boys went.
Stephen didn’t particularly care for wrestling much, preferring the martial-arts activities instead, Fred said. Kyle didn’t love wrestling at first either, although he rather enjoyed all the rolling around and playing, his grandparents said, but the plan was working: the boys were less rambunctious at home.
“I could see there was a difference in the way Kyle wrestled, even as a young child,” Fred said. “ …I could tell there was something special about Kyle and the way he approached wrestling.”
When Kyle was 10, Fred took him to the World of Wrestling Tulsa Nationals, one of the top three premiere youth wrestling tournaments where, among other things, college scouts do their scouting. Kyle won the gold medal, and from then on it was clear Kyle had a future in wrestling.
Kyle “ just kept getting better and better,” Fred said. “He was beating top-level high-school wrestlers at national tournaments when he was just 12 or 13.”
Now 28 years old, Kyle has been ranked internationally as “pound-for pound the best wrestler” in the 97kg (about 214 lbs.) category. His accomplishments include being a three-time National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) champion, a Junior World Champion, a World Cup Champion and a U.S. Open Outstanding Wrestler.
Kyle’s good spirit and good sportsmanship has been noticed by others, too. He was selected as the 2017 Team USA Male Olympic Athlete of the Year and the 2017 AAU Sullivan Award winner, where he was honored as the most outstanding U.S. amateur athlete of the year.
Paris bound
Gayle, Fred and a couple dozen family members were to leave for Paris on Aug. 6 to watch Kyle compete at the Olympics starting on Aug. 8. They will be sporting matching Snyder T-shirts, something Kyle’s mom, Tricia, makes happen, Gayle said. A few fellow wrestlers from Kyle’s days at Our Lady Good Counsel High School (and their parents) will be attending as well.
“Wrestling meets can be long events,” Fred said. “You kinda get to know the other wrestlers and their parents when you go to a lot of the meets and tournaments, and good friendships can develop along the way.”
Gayle’s family has lived in Laurel for several generations, and she served on the Laurel City Council for seven years, where she started the city’s Civic Improvement Committee and the Beautification Committee. She’s served on the Historic District Commission and Tree Board and currently serves on the city’s Board of Appeals. She was also a founder of the annual Mayor’s Open House, the city’s Dog Show and the annual Bike Rodeo and Ice Cream Social.
Fred served as the Laurel Postmaster from 1997 to 2007 and, as a veteran, is involved in American Legion Post 60.
Gayle recalls the jubilation after Kyle won the gold medal at the Olympics in Rio. At a celebration dinner, “So many of his coaches were there – from high school, college, the Olympics,” Gayle said.
Gayle and Fred said they don’t have too many plans to travel while in Paris, but did note that the Olympic wrestling venue is located right outside the Eiffel Tower.