Breakfast of a champion

By Nader Ihmoud
Lane Technical High School

In a wrestling world dominated by suburban and some private schools in the Chicago area, for a city public school student to arrive on the scene and dominate the way Max Schneider has done is unheard of.

In the 145-pound 3A weight class, he held the No. 1 ranking through this year's state finals and eventually walked away with the championship trophy in February. In doing so, Schneider became Lane Technical High School's first state wrestling champ since 1946 and the fifth state wrestling champ from the Public League since 1980, according to news reports.

In a much anticipated and dramatic match, he defeated his opponent in the third overtime after Demetrios Mitchell, a senior at John Hersey High School in Arlington Heights, was forced to default with a right knee injury. The hard-fought victory meant that the Lane Tech sophomore would end the wrestling season with an overall record of 40-0.

The school held a celebration event in May to honor his achievement.

But what made Schneider's accomplishments stunning and extra unusual was that he took on opponents in local and state wrestling finals while he had a torn labrum and a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder.

Not only has the 17-year-old athlete been dominant on the mat, but Schneider has been dominant in the classroom, handling his time like a true champ.

So Columbia Links pinned down Schneider for an interview in May 2010 to see what an average day was like for this extraordinary wrestler:

What is the first thing you do in the morning?
Get dressed, eat breakfast.

What do you usually have for breakfast?
Just a cup of coffee.

What are your classes at school?
First period A.P. U.S. [Advance Placement U.S. history]; second, drivers' ed; third, chemistry; fourth, Italian II; fifth, geometry; sixth, lunch; seventh, American literature; eight, music appreciation.

What is your hardest class?
A.P. United States history or American Literature.

What is your favorite class?
That's a tough one; I hate them all (followed by laughter), probably A.P. U.S.

What do you do after school?
I usually go to practice or tutoring.

What is the hardest part of practice?
Either the running or the live wrestling we do. But I enjoy live wrestling, so I would say the running.

What is your favorite part of practice?
The live wrestling.

Why?
I like trying new moves and testing my skill.

What do you do after practice?
Depending on the time and how I feel, I go on runs or do a short workout.

How much homework do you usually get?
I get around an hour and half to three hours of homework a night.

What time do you usually go to bed?
11 to midnight.

What is the hardest thing about being a student athlete?
Managing my time.