About Nick Garone & Inside Trip
Like a rock tossed in the middle of a calm lake that results in ripples reaching outward, so is the ongoing wrestling legacy of Nick Garone. the sport of wrestling is a way of life for Nick. He started late, as a 7th-grade student he was approached by a long time Patchogue-Medford Coach Craig Kelskey who promptly told the young Garone that he was wrestling, basically, he was drafted into the sport. He was born to wrestle and it is a credit to coach Kelskey that he could sense that early on. Once he stepped on the mat there was no looking back. Nick’s HS career was legendary as he was a 4X All-League Wrestler & Champion, 2X All-County wrestler (1X Champion) that culminated with him becoming Patchogue Medford’s first individual Section XI & New York State Wrestling Champion, in 1986. That same year Nick Garone was voted Suffolk County “Wrestler of the Year” as well as being designated as an HS All-American. In addition, Nick showed a great affinity for the international styles of wrestling where he collected 6 Empire State Games Gold medals and was a 5x NYS Champion (3X Freestyle & 3X Greco Roman) Nick continued his wrestling at the next level wrestling for Syracuse University under legendary coach and Olympian Gene Mills. After transferring to Old Dominion and wrestling under another legendary coach, Gray Simons Nick claimed a Division 1 All-American finish, placing 5th in the D-1 NCAA tournament to close out his collegiate career. He continued to wrestle freestyle full time medaling in international events like the Rokoczky Cup in Hungary, taking 3rd in the European Championships as well as winning the NYAC International Tournament and being named Outstanding Wrestler.1991 saw Nick win the Asics Tiger National Championship, the US Olympic Festival Eastern Qualifier and take a Silver Medal in the Olympic festival in Los Angeles, CA. In 1992 Nick Garone won the Eastern Olympic Games Qualifier and was an Olympic trials finalist, making him one of the top 4 wrestlers in the entire country. When he decided to hang up the competitive shoes Nick Garone turned into Coach Garone. He founded the X-Cel Wrestling Club and twice coached that team to a Pop n’ Flo Duals National Club Championship. Currently, he is a member of the coaching staff of the 4x National Dual Team Champions “Team Kong United”. After brief coaching stints at Syracuse University and Georgia State University,
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Nick Garone found a home at Eastport South Manor HS in 2005 and took a program mired in obscurity and developed it to be one of the best programs in all of New York State. It’s really here that he made his mark as one of the most successful HS.coaches in NYS and Suffolk County history. He coached Maverick and Travis Passaro to individual NYS Championships, coached the first 5x NYS Champion and 6X NYS Finalist in Adam Busiello, and is currently finishing out the career of NYS Champion Zach Redding who is a senior. His wrestlers have gone on to the next level, following in their coach’s footsteps at prestigious Division 1 college as Hofstra University (Passaro’s), Arizona State (Busiello), and now soon Iowa State (Zach Redding). Nick is an unwavering supporter of wrestling at all levels as evidenced by his constant involvement in all aspects of our sport. Nick Garone can often be heard broadcasting the play by play of both college and High school wrestling events on networks such as NBC Universal, Fox College Sports, and MSG Network. His rich, gravelly voice coupled with his deep knowledge and recognition of our sport makes an unbeatable combination and allows him a great platform to actively show his support of wrestling. His ripple effect extends much further beyond that as Nick Garone also has starred in a weekly podcast “On the Mat’ with Newsday, featuring Gregg Sarra, Andy Slawson, and Nick Garone, as well as a series of DVD documentary videos called “Inside Trip”. Mr. Garone also helped produce several Grapple at the Garden HS All-Star events at Madison Square Garden and in Suffolk County as well. That alone would be enough but there is so much more. He has branded his own sports athletic apparel company, X-Athletic that provides top-quality wrestling apparel focused on combat sports. To that end, Nick Garone was able to secure 4X NCAA Champion & World Champion Kyle Dake as his spokesman. Nick Garone serves as his manager and has formerly represented some other high-profile wrestlers, such as World and Olympic Champion Helen Maroulis,4X World Champion, Adeline Gray, and World Team Member and NCAA Champion Tony Ramos. “Leave your Mark” is his mantra for his company X-Athletic, it’s not only a slogan but the way of life for your new HOF member, Mr. Nick Garone.