Shawn Geris

Blood, Sweat & Determination Shawn Geris

Sports have offered us countless heroes to look up to. Olympians and professional athletes in particular from long ago to present day have made their marks on history and the people's consciousness in such a way that they have, in many cases, pushed us to think differently as a society. The pity is that so many unsung heroes slip through the cracks. Men and women who have stories of trial and triumph, heartache and jubilation, and who have conquered obstacles that few would dare to take on are lost, and the legends that they carry never come into the spotlight to inspire and encourage. Harry Geris is one of those unsung heroes. As a child, Harry Geris migrated with his family from the Netherlands to Canada. The young Geris struggled through school as he slowly learned a language that was foreign to him. In high school the gangly Geris that was a mess of lengthy arms and legs discovered wrestling, but he was hardly a natural. That did not stop him, however. Geris had found his passion, and from that point forward, he dedicated his life to it. From working extra hours at a grocery store to pay for gym memberships to hitchhiking across his country's border for wrestling try-outs to running away from home so he could go to college to wrestle, Harry Geris displayed a love and dedication for his sport like few ever have. More than that though, Geris had character. It was that character that shined throughout his journey, which carried a callow, naive Dutch boy who had never stepped foot on a wrestling mat to three Olympic games. It was not only that Geris became an Olympian that is so intriguing, but how he became an Olympian and the adventures he had along the way. This book walks you through an amazing, and amazingly humble, man's journey.