Wrestling, Volleyball
Favorite athlete: Connor McGregor
Favorite team: Golden State Warriors
Favorite memory competing in sports: Winning districts freshman year in volleyball and also making it to states for wrestling from my sophomore to my senior year and getting 100 wins.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: Getting concussed from a ball against Pennridge
Music on playlist: Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield
Future plans: Attending college for either wrestling or volleyball and getting my business degree
Words to live by: “Do what excites!”
One goal before turning 30: Having a family
One thing people don’t know about me: I still don’t know what a verb is
By GORDON GLANTZ
It is more than 6,400 miles from Kyrgyzstan to the Philadelphia area.
For Neshaminy senior Beknazar Baiyshbekov, a popular two-sport standout in wrestling and volleyball, it has been well worth the journey for himself and his family.
“I’m really grateful,” said Baiyshbekov, who also excels in the classroom. “If my parents didn’t come to this country, I wouldn’t be where I am right now, in terms of being able to do sports and having as many friends as I have been able to have and being able to go to college.
“If I had stayed, I would have been able to go to college, but it wouldn’t have been the same. I also wouldn’t be wrestling or playing volleyball.”
Baiyshbekov’s mother, Aigul, was an English teacher in Kyrgyzstan and came to America first. Within two years, the rest of the family – including himself, his father (Bekzat) and brother (Ernazar) – followed when
“Bek,” as he is affectionately known, was in fifth grade.
“It was okay in Kyrgyzstan, but they wanted a better future for us,” said Baiyshbekov of his parents. “My mom always wanted to come here to America. She always wanted to live here. She wanted her kids to live in America and have a better life than what she had.”
Because of his mother’s background in English, Baiyshbekov had a slight advantage on some of his friends at Neshaminy, many of whom also immigrated from Eastern Europe.
“She had a lot of books that taught basic English,” he said. “When I got here, I already knew the alphabet and the words. It helped me learn faster, as opposed to learning it again from scratch.”
Nonetheless, verbal communication remained a hurdle.
“I could read it pretty well, but I wasn’t able to speak it,” said Baiyshbekov. “I used to have a pretty big accent, but I worked on it. My freshman year, I started making friends in high school. I got more experienced with my English, and it got better with time.”
Once at Neshaminy, where he got involved in volleyball and followed his brother into the wrestling room, Baiyshbekov’s verbal English began to improve as the years passed.
“I’ve had him for all four years, and when I first had him, his English was a little bit of a work in progress,” said volleyball coach Pat Klingerman. “It’s all good now, but in his freshman year, it was definitely a struggle.”
As it is now, with many of his teammates speaking little to no English, Baiyshbekov serves as Klingerman’s translator.
That, in turn, has made him a team leader, albeit a reluctant one.
“I wouldn’t call myself a leader, but some of my friends really don’t speak English,” said Baiyshbekov, who leads his team in kills and is an easy bet for all-league honors. “I help out when my coach needs it.”
Klingerman is beyond appreciative of his efforts.
“He is also someone who just really brings the whole team together,” said the coach. “He leads them on the court and off the court as well. He sets an example and makes sure that all the other kids are following.
“I have a lot of those kids who may not understand English as well, and I need him to help bridge that gap. He lets them know what’s expected.”
Getting Excited
As far as sports were concerned, Baiyshbekov was able to find his place in his new country as competition ignited a fire within him.
“You have to do something that excites you,” he said. “If I’m not into it, I won’t do it.”
Winning more than losing didn’t hurt for the outstanding natural athlete, who was part of a district champion volleyball team as a freshman.
In terms of wrestling, Baiyshbekov made rapid progress after only first trying it in middle school.
“I went from being an unknown freshman to making it to states as a sophomore,” said Baiyshbekov, who qualified for states the last three years of his wrestling career.
Assistant wrestling coach Colin McSherry has been there since the beginning.
“I’ve had the chance to work with Bek over the last four years, and it’s been an awesome experience watching him grow,” said McSherry. “When he first came into the room, he was pretty raw. He had a ton of talent on his feet but needed to develop more on top and bottom. The thing is, he knew that. He understood what it would take to get better and got to work.
“In the room, he was coachable, focused and really committed to getting better. When his conditioning matched his mindset, he was dangerous (and) capable of putting together some really impressive attacks.”
As Baiyshbekov developed, his reputation began to grow outside of Neshaminy’s wrestling room.
“Most coaches and opponents knew Bek wasn’t going to take you down and ride you for six minutes, but that didn’t mean they could stop him,” said McSherry. “He scored takedowns on some of the best kids in the state, not because he was flashy, but because he just kept coming and had that kind of explosiveness.”
Will to Win
What impresses Baiyshbekov’s coaches the most, beyond statistics and victories, is his worth ethic and the way he carries himself.
“Bek is a great kid,” said Klingerman. “He is an extremely hard worker. He wants to be the best. He’s a very competitive multi-sport athlete who also wrestles here at Neshaminy as well. He went to states three years in
a row and has over 100 wins as a wrestler. He has that competitive drive and that hunger.”
While wrestling and volleyball is an uncommon combination (wrestlers may also play football and volleyball players more often double up in basketball), it is his motor that makes it all work.
Baiyshbekov’s competitive drive explains why his 5-10 frame is not a deterrent at the net against taller opponents in volleyball and against lifetime wrestlers in the 160-pound weight class (he now weighs 170).
“I’m not a big fan of losing,” he said. “I can’t give up. I don’t want to lose. That’s what makes me competitive. I can work as hard as anyone else who doesn’t want to work as hard.”
It was a loss at states as sophomore, with a chance to medal, that almost caused Baiyshbekov to give up wrestling and solely focus on volleyball.
But, with his older brother an incoming senior at the time, he came back.
“I stuck it out for him,” he said.
He is understandably glad he did.
Looking ahead
As it stands now, there are seemingly more opportunities to wrestle at the next level, as volleyball is more of a niche sport often played only at the club level, on the East Coast.
Because of all these factors, and despite what the calendar says, he has yet to make a final decision.
“I’ve been talking to more wrestling coaches than volleyball,” said Baiyshbekov. “Some people call me about volleyball but not as much as wrestling coaches.”
Wherever he lands, or whichever sports he ultimately plays, his Neshaminy coaches do not doubt he will succeed.
Beyond skills, he brings intangibles.
“He is the first one in the gym and the last one out,” says Klingerman. “He always says hello and goodbye. He always puts all of the equipment away.”
It is the way he carries himself in general that has also impressed McSherry the most.
“Off the mat? He’s just a great kid,” he said. “He always had a big smile, always respectful and super grounded. He cares deeply about his family and would so anything to help out.
“I really believe Bek has a bright future ahead of him, no matter what path he chooses. I’m proud of how far he’s come, and I’ll always be cheering him on.”
All Business
Being a two-sport standout with aspirations of being a collegiate athlete, Baiyshbekov also increasingly buckled down in the classroom to make sure he was both eligible but also able to get into Division III colleges that do not directly award athletic scholarships.
“When he first started at Neshaminy, he was not where he is now as a student,” said Klingerman. “Through the time, he started to figure himself out and mature and grow.
“Academically, he started getting on the honor roll and getting good grades. We never had to worry about him. He also started to make sure that everyone else was on top of their grades. That’s where he is a leader – not only athletically but academically as well.
“To be able to play two varsity sports at a high level, you have to stay academically eligible, and I’m sure doing all of that stuff while staying on top of his grades has not been an easy task.”
In terms of college, schools in the picture are Eastern, Delaware Valley, Albright and others relatively nearby.
Baiyshbekov knows he would like to major in business with the goal of being an owner/operator of his own business.
“My dad has his own business,” he explained. “If I had my business degree, I would be able to have my own business, too. My dad has his own business but doesn’t have his degree or anything because he didn’t go to college here.”
Baiyshbekov wanted to extend a debt of gratitude to his family for their support.
“I would like to thank my brother and my parents,” he said. “My brother would support me in wrestling all the time. My parents paid for everything and gave me rides.”
Baiyshbekov also wanted to thank his coaches for helping him learn two diverse sports.
“They all really believed in me, and they all really supported me,” he said. “Throughout my four years, they all really just helped me to get better.”
He also developed a network of friends, which includes many at other schools – mainly from camps and outside tournaments -- that he has competed against.
Baiyshbekov appreciated how his volleyball friends supported him in wrestling and how his wrestling friends have done the same during volleyball season.
He went on to thank his long-term girlfriend for her support over the years as well.
Curtain Call
All that support from family friends will be needed some more.
While graduation looms in early June, Baiyshbekov and Co. are ticketed for states in volleyball.
Despite falling to Pennsbury in the district championship to snap a run that included an earth-shaking upset win over perennial district powerhouse Pennridge in the district tournament, he is confident of a solid showing when states begin.
“I think we can go pretty far in states,” said Baiyshbekov, whose grandfather, Baiyshbek Solbatev, was a national team player back in Kyrgyzstan. “At the start of the season, we were pretty strong. Then, we started getting injuries after injuries after injuries. We lost to two teams that were undefeated. From there, we just started to come back. Now, we are playing better.”
