Blog 1

Hello, my name is Sam Staley, and I am studying sports industry here at OSU. This is my second year here, but fourth year in school, as I transferred after two years of community college from  2012-2014. I grew up just outside Chicago, in a town called Downers Grove. I was raised by a single mother, and have had to work some kind of job or another for most my life. I was an amateur boxer/MMA fighter through high school, and took a break from the sport last year in exchange for ice hockey. Boxing was always a big leadership opportunity for me; I was always a hard worker, and was able to excel in boxing technique. Every so often, the main coach wouldn't be able to make it to the gym, so occasionally the other fighters would look to me to lead the class. This taught me how to instruct others on both boxing and Brazilian jiu jitsu, as well helped my own technique. After spontaneously coaching a few classes, I really began to enjoy sharing my knowledge with others, and seeing them benefit from it. It lead me to start stepping up more as a leader, and sharing what I know any chance I get.