Overcoming “Nicks” …Kossor’s Bumpy Road to Success

At the age of 16, after having already been in Judo for 11 years, Nick Kossor decided to put making an Olympic team at the top of his priority list. As if this goal wasn’t challenging enough, life (the road travelled by each of us) had a few unexpected turns and bumps. In the case of Nick Kosser, his “bumps” and “turns” might be considered more along the lines of “floods” and ‘earthquakes” on his route to becoming an Olympian.

There is one (1) word that sends shivers down the spine of every athlete, and it is just as common as the more motivational words of “training” or “drilling” or “winning”. That word is “Injury”. And it is the word that has plagued Kossor’s career from early on. After finishing his sophomore year in high school in southern Pennsylvania, Kossor left his friends and family to live and train with the best coach the sport has to offer, Silver Medalist Jason Morris (92 Barcelona Games). The Jason Morris Judo Center, located in Glenville, NY, owned and operated by the 4x Olympian along with his wife Teri, was Kossor’s final destination. Just as they have done for other Judo Athletes from all over the world, Jason and Teri also graciously opened the doors of their home to Kossor, who was too young to live on his own while pursuing his sporting dream.

“There was definitely an adjustment period for me moving away from my family at a young age, but I never saw it as a massive sacrifice because I knew that in order to reach my potential in judo I had to train with Jason & Teri. It was simply something I wanted more than anything,” Kossor stated.

Transitioning and training was going smoothly for a solid year, and Kossor was en route to making the coveted Junior World Team. Unfortunately, and without warning, Kossor tore the ACL in his right knee during a training session. The injury required surgical reconstruction and massive amounts of Physical Therapy. The combination of surgeons, therapists, and pure determination to achieve his goals resulted in a minimal length of recovery time, as he was back on the mat competing in five (5) months. “I was eating and sleeping rehab, even when I wasn’t scheduled for PT (Physical Therapy), and I was always doing everything I could to get back to training as quickly as possible,” Kossor noted.

Nonetheless, as if it were part of a cruel joke, Kossor sustained another ACL injury nearly one (1) year later during another training session, but this time to his left knee. This injury could not have come at a worse time, because it was right before the Nationals, which served as a Qualifier for the Senior World Team. After missing out on another World Team berth, Kossor began the process of recovery all over again with the same team he had before, (Orthopedic surgeon Howard Levy and Physical Therapist Thomas Houghtalen). After another five (5) months off the mat, Kossor continued his ascension up the National Roster and World Rankings, moving towards the 2012 Olympics.

After spending close to three (3) years as the #1 ranked Judo Athlete in the US, Kossor appeared to be a definite for the 2012 Olympics at the London Games. Sadly, disaster struck again at a competition in Paris, France in 2011. While fighting the #1 ranked Judo Athlete in the world at the time, Kossor tore his rotator cuff and labrum in his right shoulder and was forced to cancel his European competitive tour. Without hesitation, Kossor reunited with his team of doctors and trainers to start rehabilitation for the third time in his career. Although the recovery process was quicker than usual, the timing of the injury did not leave enough time to qualify for the 2012 Olympics. To his credit, though, Kossor remains the #1 ranked Judo Athlete in the US since the 2012 Olympic Games at his weight class of -60kg (132lbs.) and is currently ranked #33 in the world. He is also currently a favorite to make the 2016 US Olympic Judo Team in his weight class.

The future is not set, and in the world of sports anything can happen. As Athletes, success and failure in a sport is not determined by how many Titles you claim, or the number of Matches you win. Chasing your DREAM and working toward your goals is really what is most important. At the end of the day or career, what satisfies one’s soul most, and fills it to overflowing, is how hard one works and how professional one has acted in pursuit of the Dream. In summary, Nick adds, “Sacrifice, determination, professionalism, endurance, and consistency are all words we should aspire to have attached to our names as athletes.”