SportStories, Ep. 4 | Ripple Effect: Remembering Mark Halvorson

The Pod Welcomes Its First Olympian As Robby Smith Joined Multiple Wrestlers To Help Us Remember The Late Youth And De La Salle Coach, Mark Halvorson •

As the wrestling program director at Concord’s Community Youth Center, Mark Halvorson opened the door of wrestling to countless youth from all backgrounds — and became a father figure to so many of them. He did it while also building a program that filled countless trophy cases and became internationally known.

At the same time, he also built De La Salle High’s wrestling program into a regional power that won 11 of the last 12 North Coast Section titles. During that stretch, the program sent 90 wrestlers to the CIF State Championships. Twenty-three of those wrestlers medaled, and two came home state champions.

In mid-February, Halvorson passed away as a result of a heart attack at age 57. For this episode, we brought in some of his most famous wrestlers, to celebrate a legacy that will undoubtedly endure.

Headlining our guests is U.S. World Team member and 2016 Olympian, Robby Smith (San Ramon Valley HS ’05). Also joining us are 2018 National Team member and 2019 U.S. Nationals silver medalist, Luke Sheridan (De La Salle ’11), as well as his older brother Tyler Sheridan (De La Salle ’09). Former Contra Costa Times/Bay Area News Group journalist Bill Kolb also stops by.

Find and follow/subscribe to the podcast on the following sites: Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Breaker, Pocket Casts and Radio Public. Visit the podcast’s home site of Anchor to leave us a voice message about the episode, or to suggest a topic of your own.

EPISODE EXTRAS

Robby Smith Delivers A 5-Point Throw At The 2018 U.S. Open

Luke Sheridan Wins A Match At The 2019 U.S. Open

More to come.