12:00 AM
Matt Peloquin
Today is April 8, 2022, the birthday of Gregg Kochakji. He passed in June 2021 after a long battle with ALS and I think of him often.
Today, I’m thinking of my friend and all that he meant to me. All that he meant to everyone reading this.
We all experienced so much with Gregg over the years. We all have our stories. And while they mean so much for each of us as individuals, they might mean even more to his family, his children, so that they can learn even more about their fantastic father.
So if you are reading this, share your Gregg Kochakji stories in the comments!
4/28/2022;
Kat Kochakji and the Young-Ins.
This was Gregg’s first-ever hip-hop song.
He loved it and could sing all the lyrics.
He was Irvington, NJ proud. All between 113-138 pounds for wresting. He loved preaching to us about the benefits of the double-leg takedown. But he would dance to this song.
https://open.spotify.com/track/1SyQ6t9RdRBK0QUCS6a797?si=Mehm5iIPQEy3cqhlL8Gi6w
Save this # and add to it with your stories
#greggkochakji . I want to make sure my friend, the 80’s Movie Good Guy exists here for his friends and family forever.
Posts
1 comments:
As many know, Gregg was an athlete in high school and the sport he seemed to connect with the most then was wrestling.
It was, I believe districts one year, and Gregg was favored to do very well and likely move on to regionals. But he lost a match, at home, and his season was over.
I won't name the person he lost to, as those in the WM wresting family know that it was a "sour" subject.
After the match, Gregg came and found me and we kept walking, going outside. He was disappointed and hurt that he had lost when his own expectations were so high.
I'll never forget that day, because it was Gregg being Gregg. Despite living in a time when it was the norm for guys to just bottle everything up, he knew that I was there to cheer him up and he wanted that. He had put a lot of pressure on himself but he was also the first person to be able to confront it, accept it, and move on. It was something I saw in him many times with much more impacting life events than a wrestling match.
And it's something important that I've always admired about him because it's a life skill that took me a long time to gain in comparison.
I'm so happy that Gregg met Kat and had that daily person in his life to just be himself, be vulnerable when he had to. He always deserved that.
Love ya pal, happy birthday!
Post a Comment