An Amazing Tale Of A 14 yr Old Who Organized A Kids Wrestling League In The Mid 1980s
Posted: Thursday, June 16, 2005
by ngoldman
Norm Goldman
Author: Shawn “Crusher" Crossen
ISBN: 1879000121
The following interview was conducted by: NORM GOLDMAN: Editor of Bookpleasures &CLICK TO VIEW Norm Goldman's Reviews: To read Norm's Review Of The Book Click Here
Today Norm Goldman, Editor of Bookpleasures.com is pleased to have as our guest, Shawn “Crusher" Crossen, author of Pro Wrestling Kid’s Style.
At the age of 14 Shawn managed and promoted a wrestling league, wherein young kids participated in venues all over the
Thanks Shawn for agreeing to participate in our interview.
Norm:
As you look back on what you had achieved when you were 14, what would you say was the most important lesson you learned?
Shawn:
The fact that a person can accomplish anything if they put their mind to it, no matter how old they are. That would have to be the most important lesson learned for me. These days, too many kids hear the phrase “It can’t be done." and just accept it. I could have easily done the same thing many times, yet I learned that if you work hard enough for something, you really can make it happen.
Norm:
Upon reading your book, I noticed that there was no mention of concern among the parents of the kids as to the possibility of serious injuries. Would you care to comment?
Shawn:
Back 20 years ago, times were different. Nowadays, it is easy to think of injuries doing a kids pro wrestling show like we did, because of all the bad rap that “backyard wrestling" has generated. But you have to remember that “backyard wrestling" did not exist back then, and our intention as a league was nothing like “backyard wrestling". What I mean is, we were all putting on a show of sports entertainment, and the parents knew that. They looked at the risks of it as no more dangerous than “little league football", or “little league hockey". Also, we grew into what we were doing. We started out on bed mattresses and it took years to get to being in an actual wrestling ring. Had we started out using an actual wrestling ring right off the bat, I’m sure my parents would have stepped in.
Norm:
Did you or any of the kids receive training in the sport of wrestling? If not, how did you learn the various moves such as head locks, slams, etc?
Shawn:
In the beginning, there was no training at all. We just self taught ourselves. And after a while, we actually learned all the maneuvers and how to do them properly all on our own. At that point, we would teach all new comers that came into the league the same. We were also given advice from local trainer and wrestling promoter Eddie Sharkey when we met him in 1986. Advice from him was used to polish up on some moves we were doing wrong, but it was really just minor things and nothing serious.
Norm:
Did any of your participants go on to enter the world of sports at the College level or at the professional level?
Shawn:
Yes, a lot of the kids went on. Besides myself going on to work the local indy circuit in professional wrestling, Chris Barger and Mike Bauer (The Rack-n-Roll Express) both went on the work for some small time wrestling leagues in West Virginia. Todd and Troy Dusosky (The Super Ds) both play professional soccer for The Milwaukee Wave. John Hoffman (One half of The Destructors) went on to become a professional boxer and is currently one of the biggest boxing promoters in the state of
Norm:
How did your book come about and did you receive any editorial help in writing the book?
Shawn:
About 5 years ago, I got the idea to write the book, but I did not know how to go about doing it. Early last year, I did some web surfing and learned how to self publish, and the rest is now history. I did have an editorial review done for grammar, and I was blown away at all the changes I had to make (there were many). The only thing that I did not change that I was told I should consider changing was the use of “And" and “But" at the start of sentences. I felt that changing that would alter my writing style. And many people have told me that my “style" is what makes it so interesting to read. So I left those sentence structures as is.
Norm:
What were the greatest challenges or obstacles you encountered while writing your book? How did you overcome these challenges?
Shawn:
Everything went so smoothly in the writing part. The only challenge was to make it interesting. And for that, I took my time. I did not rush it. I only wrote a chapter at a time, and spent weeks on each chapter.
Norm:
How do you intend to market your book?
Shawn:
Everyway that is possible and feasible. Everyday, I search the internet and find ways to do this. Currently, I am having my book displayed at several book fairs around the country. I am also running some ads in the “young adult" direct marketing brochure put out by PMA. I placed full-page ads in the wrestling trade publications last winter. I have done and continue to do several radio interviews all over the country. And I recently sent out several review copies to major papers and trade publications.
Norm:
How have you used the Internet in promoting yourself and the book?
Shawn:
Absolutely. I set up a website to not only promote my book, but I use it to promote the DVD series I also released. The website also serves as a historical “look back" at our entire league and all that we accomplished.
Norm:
Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?
Shawn
In closing, let me say just this. Back 20 years ago, I managed to do something that was not being done, and did it very successfully. It was a dream come true for me. So I wrote my book “Pro Wrestling Kids’ Style" to help share my story with others to learn from. My message is simple, and that is you can accomplish anything on any level no matter how hard it may seem. Although my book is enjoyable at any age level, I really want kids to read it. Because they are the audience I am speaking to. They are the ones that can make a difference now in the choices they make that will forever change their lives. Perhaps my story can inspire them and help them to make those choices.
Thanks again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.