December 15, 1998

Columbia, MO - All it took was an akward situation in a high school sociology class to convince Jason Moore where his college education should lead.

"Someone stood up in class and said they weren't going to college because they weren't smart enough," said Moore, a sophomore on the Mizzou wrestling team. "(The teacher) started crying in class. That showed how much she cared for each student. She really believed that they could do it. That's amazing to me that she put that much of her life into it."

Ever since that incident, Moore knew that he wanted to keep that spirit alive. Moore spent time in high school at St. Charles West in suburban St. Louis, as a tutor and has continued his teaching in college. During this past summer, Moore was a counselor at the wrestling camp held at MU. An experience that he called "very rewarding".

"It's alot of fun," Moore said. "It's great watching them learn. Watching someone not understand something and then understanding after being taught. It's like some things are a revelation to some people."

Because he was sure of what his future held, Moore said the adjustment to college was easier. He was redshirted during his freshman year, but he used the time to get settled in the wrestling program and get a good start on his academics.

"The big thing in college is learning time management," Moore siad. "Learning how to handle everything and living on your own for the first time can be tough. It also helped out in wrestling. It [reshirting a season] helped me mature physically."

Moore is dedicated to his academics, but he is also focused on his performance on the wrestling mats. He is the only returning MU wrestler who qualified for the NCAA Championships last year and has high ambitions for this year and beyond.

"I'm proud that I qualified last year, but that wasn't my goal. My goal is to be an All-American. It's something I think I can do if I work hard enough. I'm not there yet, but I will be."

Becoming an All-American wrestler is impressive in its own right, but Moore wants to reach the status never attained by a MU wrestler.

"I want to be a national champion," Moore said. "If I keep working hard I can do it. It's something to shoot for."

That type of attitude has earned Moore the right to be the captain of this year's team. It's a job that he enjoys having because he is able to help out his teammates with wrestling and problems away rom wrestling.

"Last year I was quiet and just did my work," Moore said. "This year I've tried to be more vocal and try to get guys going. I try to get them focused on wrestling, but I also talk to the guys about off-the-mat problems too."

Jason said that the best things about wrestling are having your hand raised after winning and having his dad watch him compete. Moore gives alot of credit for his success to his dad, who started taking Jason to little league wrestling matches when Moore was five years old.

"He's not surprised with my success, but I know he's proud," Moore said. With his son's positive attitude and accomplishments, there's good reason for his dad to be proud.

This story was written by Josh Montei of Inside Mizzou Sports