It only took one time for Richard Jensen to become addicted to drugs.
“One time, and it took me down a long, dark, lonely road for almost 20 years,” said Jensen, who visited Queensbury High School on Monday, Nov. 18.
The former methamphetamine addict and ex-convict was the subject of an Emmy-winning ESPN feature titled “Getting Off the Matt,” which chronicled his journey from addiction and homelessness to getting his life back by becoming a 37-year-old college wrestler.
“It’s been a hard, hard 20 years of making a comeback in life after everything I did. There’s been a lot of roadblocks, a lot of disappointments, a lot of matches lost along the way,” Jensen said. “And the one thing I did is stay true to myself and just keep going. Just keep going, keep moving.”
Jensen, whose mother died while he was incarcerated, told students that it is the relationships with the people they love that really matter. He implored the students to be role models.
“Think about the people that you’re hanging around with,” he said. “You should be hanging around with those that are helping elevate you, bring the best out of you.”