Mark Generalovich spent the past three weeks in Oklahoma, but it wasn't for a sightseeing trip.

"With my senior year [at Thomas Jefferson High School] coming up, I decided to spend the summer preparing for my final season of wrestling," he said. "I felt it was important to attend an intensive camp, so I chose John Smith's Intensive Camp."

Smith, considered one of the best wrestlers of all-time, is a two-time Olympic medalist and the head coach at Oklahoma State University.

"It certainly was intense," said Generalovich of the two weeks of running, drilling and lifting. "We started at 6:30 every morning and had to run approximately six miles. Then we had a long session just for learning technique. After lunch, we had another session devoted to live drilling. We finished each day with weight lifting after dinner. It was very hard, but very beneficial."

Generalovich also wrestled in two tournaments while attending the camp.

"We had a tournament both Thursdays," said Generalovich. "The first Thursday, I placed third after losing, 1-0, to a Colorado state champion in the semifinals, but pinned the other five wrestlers I faced. The second Thursday, I won all six matches and won my bracket. And we had a 32-man bracket for both tournaments."

But his two-week trip to Oklahoma turned into a three-week visit when he was invited to wrestle for the Pennsylvania Team at the USA Wrestling Junior National Duals, which were held in Enid, Okla., the week prior to John Smith's Intensive Camp.

"He didn't receive the invitation until shortly before the team left for Oklahoma," said Thomas Jefferson coach Ryan Brain. "It was an easy decision for Mark since he was already going to Oklahoma for camp. We just had to find a ride for him from Enid to Stillwater after the tournament."

Generalovich wrestled twice in the Greco-Roman tournament for Pennsylvania's A-team and lost both times. He wrestled for the B-team in the freestyle competition and posted a 4-2 record.

Generalovich returned home Saturday and immediately left for a four-day vacation in New York. The family plans to stay the rest of the week, but Generalovich left yesterday to attend a training camp at Lock Haven University.

The training camp is for wrestlers who have qualified for the USA Wrestling Junior National Tournament, July 23-30 at Fargo, N.D. Generalovich qualified for the Pennsylvania Team by placing fourth in his weight class at the Pennsylvania Amateur Wrestling Federation state tournament, June 10-12.

"The wrestler who finished first in my weight class [Lake Lehman's Matt Dragon] also qualified at the Northeast qualifier, so they invited me," said Generalovich, referring to the fact that only the top three in each weight class qualify.

Generalovich made his varsity debut as a 145-pound freshman and came within one win of qualifying for the WPIAL Class AAA tournament after placing fourth in his section. He posted a 13-18 record that season at a weight that is usually dominated by juniors and seniors. Generalovich returned at 145 as a sophomore and qualified for the WPIAL tournament by placing third in the section. He finished the season with a 23-12 record after losing in the first round of the WPIAL tournament.

This past season, Generalovich moved up to 152 pounds and compiled a 34-5 record. He placed third in the section, but lost two of three at the WPIAL tournament.

"My goal for the upcoming season is to go undefeated during the regular season," said Generalovich, who also admitted that Thomas Jefferson's schedule isn't as challenging as he would like it to be. "I also feel I can win a WPIAL title and place at the PIAA tournament if I wrestle to my potential."