By STEPHEN GLOVER

For the Call

Albert Einstein once said, “Weakness of attitude becomes a weakness of character.”

Lindbergh Senior High’s Jeff Streibig found himself testing his own attitude and character recently at the Missouri state wrestling championships in Columbia.

Streibig had suffered a devastating 15-0 decision to defending state champion Shane Nay of Oak Park in the champion-ship semifinal at 130 pounds. The senior’s dream of a state championship had slipped away within a few minutes.

But a pep talk from head coach Tom Gose and Athletic Director Mike Slyman motivated the senior grappler to move on and claim the third-place medal with an 8-0 de-feat of Sammy Agrusa of Blue Springs.

“We basically told him that this was a test of his character,” Gose told the Call.

Streibig had taken fourth the previous season at 130 pounds for the Flyers.

“I really wanted to win (the match against Nay) but coach Gose and coach Slyman talked to me about coming back and not wanting to lose,” Streibig told the Call. “Everything then turned out all right.”

The middle child of Dave and Carol Streibig’s three sons, Jeff Streibig got his start in wrestling in second grade. His father was an All-American at Central Mis-souri State University and has been the coach of the Lindbergh youth wrestling program for the past 10 years.

“My dad’s the one who got me started,” Streibig said. “He’s been the little league coach for the past 10 years and tells me all the time how much more advanced I am now than he ever was. But he’s the one who’s much wiser.”

Gose knows that Dave’s knowledge in the art of wrestling not only helped his own son, but also other members of the Lindbergh wrestling team.

“Dave is not only a good dad and a good coach, but he’s also a selfless person,” Gose said. “He would help out any of the kids on the team that needed it.”

The younger Streibig, a three-time state qualifier and two-time medalist, is one of just five wrestlers at Lindbergh to ever medal twice at the state championships.

“Obviously Jeff’s one of the best wrest-lers in my time as a head coach,” Gose said “He’s a good leader and led by example. The guys know that he earned everything he got.”

Streibig is hoping to wrestle at either his father’s alma mater or Lindenwood Uni-versity. He hopes to major in secondary education with an emphasis on industrial technologies. That would explain his strong interest in woodworking and the fact he has his own landscaping business with more than 30 clients.

“I’ve been cutting grass since I was 11 and started building it (the landscaping business) up over the past two years,” Streibig said. “We’ve got a lot of projects that we do and the reason why I do this is that it’s fun and I can make a little bit of money.”