Eli Bienstock: Quince Orchard Wrestling
Meet Eli Bienstock, far right, whose ultimate ambition it to wrestle for Cornell and possibly in the Olympics.
Photo By: Howard Bernstein / GamedayMD.com | VIEW GALLERY
Eli Bienstock recently outmatched Michael Nguyen in an 8 - 4 decision.
Photo By: Howard Bernstein / GamedayMD.com | VIEW GALLERY
Eli has been aggressively working on becoming even better by wrestling as much as possible throughout the year
Photo By: Howard Bernstein / GamedayMD.com | VIEW GALLERY
GAITHERSBURG, MD - In all sports there are those people who are so dedicated that they will do whatever it takes to become the best. This desire to want to become the something better, forces them to go the extra mile, when it is so much easier to do something else.
As a result, this is how champions are made. A local athlete wrestler who has been exhibiting similar kinds of dedication is Eli Bienstock of Quince Orchard. Currently, the sophomore is on pace to have another productive season following his second place finish at state last year.
This can be seen by looking no further than when Bienstock outmatched Michael Nguyen in an 8 - 4 decision not long ago. Yet, when you look beyond the success, it's clear, that there is so much more to Bienstock than just another up and coming wrestler.
Focused
Upon visiting with Eli it is clear that he focused on what his short and long term goals are. On the wrestling mat, his goal this is year is to win state, then build off of his successes to become even better in the following years.
He would ultimately like to attend and wrestle for Cornell (this is where is his father attended as well as his brother currently going to school).
To achieve these objectives, Eli has been aggressively working on becoming even better by wrestling as much as possible throughout the year. Where he not only wrestles with the Cougars, but he also wrestles with the Gaithersburg Eagles of the Beltway League.
This has allowed Bienstock to consistently improve his wrestling while others are relaxing, which helps explain the meteoric rise of the young grappler.
Always Looking for Weaknesses
One of the key pieces for Bienstock's success has been his ability to always look for his possible weaknesses and work to make it a strength. A good example of this can be seen by his disappointment of losing once this season.
This forced him to fix the mistakes from the one loss, helping to improve his overall level of wrestling. In practice and on his own personal time Eli, always wants to work on improving his endurance, strength and speed.
While these are at high levels, Bienstock believes that if he continues to keep working in these areas he could be considerably more dominant.
No One does it Alone
While Bienstock has enjoyed the lime light from his hard work; none of his success would have been possible with out the support of many different people. His father has played a major part in helping to keep him motivated, working hard and most importantly: to always remain focused on academics.
Then, he receives support and ideas from head coach Christopher Tao. Also, he has been working with former Olympic Champion in wrestling Wade Schalles. The reason why this is so important is: because Schalles, is the world record holder for most amateur wins and pins in wrestling.
As a result, Eli has a deep pool of talent and support that are only continuing to make him better. When you combine this with his focus and the ability to always look for different weaknesses, it is clear, that Eli could be one of Maryland's most dominate wrestlers in the coming years.
It's not only about wrestling
While wrestling is an important part of Eli's life, there is one area that has an equal priority, academics. Despite his busy schedule, Bienstock has maintained a 4.0 GPA. His ultimate ambition it to wrestle for Cornell and possibly in the Olympics, but he would ultimately like to follow in the footsteps of his father by becoming a lawyer.
What all of this shows, is that if Bienstock continues on his current path he will become one of the most dominant wrestlers in his weight class. The dedication, support and focus on his goals have given him a drive that is hard to find in many student athletes, especially so young.
While no one knows what the future will bring, it would not be surprising to see Bienstock become one of the most sought after wrestlers in the state by college scouts. Especially, if he continues with his levels of performance on the wrestling mat and in the classroom.
