Junior World champion Bubba Jenkins has all the right moves

Watch Bubba Jenkins win the Junior World title

Bubba Jenkins leaped in the air three times, raised his arms and flashed a smile.

Then he started to dance.

It was time to celebrate.

Jenkins showed he had all the right moves during and after his gold-medal match at the 2007 Junior World Championships in Beijing, China.

Just seconds after polishing off Turkey's Okay Koksal to win a Junior World freestyle title this past August, Jenkins entertained the crowd during his celebratory dance in the same venue where the 2008 Olympic Games will be held.

"I always dance to my music in warm-ups and some of the wrestlers from Germany and Cuba were telling me I should dance if I won in the finals," Jenkins said. "I talked to (USA Wrestling National Developmental Coach) Doc Bennett and he said, 'If you win a World title, you can do whatever you want.' I did a little Shimmy Shake after I won and the crowd loved it. It was fun. I wasn't trying to show up my opponent, I just did a little dance to show how happy I was."

Jenkins may have another reason to dance during the 2007-08 collegiate season. The Penn State sophomore is unbeaten and ranked fourth nationally at 149 pounds for a Nittany Lions team that is ranked third in the country.

The 19-year-old Jenkins, from Virginia Beach, Va., is off to a 9-0 start in his second college season.

Jenkins came to Penn State with outstanding credentials. He was a Virginia state high school champion and won Senior High School Nationals.

Jenkins started as a true freshman for Penn State, but had to wrestle up a weight class. Jenkins lost a wrestle-off to teammate Dan Vallimont for the starting spot at 149. Jenkins then moved up to 157.

Even though he was undersized, Jenkins went 23-12 and qualified for the NCAA Championships. He won his first match at the 2007 NCAA tournament before dropping his next two.

A rough early stretch at 157 was difficult for Jenkins.

"I was pinned by (NCAA qualifier) Matt Hill of Edinboro, tech-falled by (NCAA runner-up) Craig Henning of Wisconsin and majored by (All-American) C.P. Schlatter of Minnesota," Jenkins said. "I started out with the three worst ways you can lose. Henning twisted me up like a Tootsie Roll - I was so embarrassed and hurt. It was tough, going against those bigger guys. But it helped me for this year because I learned to hand-fight and wrestle against stronger opponents."

A superb freestyle season by Jenkins took some of the sting away from a tough freshman season at Penn State.

Jenkins was a dominant force at the Junior Worlds.

He pinned Armenia's Samvel Adyan, beat Kazahkstan's Nurlan Bekhanov 0-1, 4-0, 4-2 and downed Iran's Saied Dadashpour 2-0, 6-0 en route to the finals.

He capped his impressive run to the gold medal with a 1-0, 3-0 finals win over Koksal, the European Junior champion from Turkey. Jenkins shot in to score on a single-leg takedown in the first period before countering and throwing Koksal to his back late in the second period to clinch the win.

Prior to leaving for Junior Worlds, Jenkins had the opportunity to train with the U.S. Senior World Team at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

"I had a great camp and I was in great shape - our coaches did a great job preparing us," Jenkins said. "I had some matches in practice with Doug Schwab (who placed fifth at the Senior World Championships) and I was able to win a match against him. That was great preparation for the Junior Worlds - it gave me a great boost of confidence to do well against a World Team member."

Staying in an attack mode was instrumental for Jenkins at the Junior Worlds.

"Don't get taken down - that was the biggest key for me," he said. "Anytime I would get on bottom in freestyle I was always getting turned like a top. If you take me down, chances were you were going to score some points and beat me. I could not defend the gut-wrench at all. I focused on my offense, taking guys down and turning them."

The influence of three-time World champion Lee Kemp, one of the U.S. coaches for the Junior Worlds, provided another boost for Jenkins.

"I love Lee Kemp," Jenkins said. "He's an amazing person. He gave me great coaching and great advice. He definitely inspired me with his positive attitude. He helped me with my strategy and my technique. I can't thank him enough."

The success Jenkins enjoyed in freestyle has translated into his shift back to folkstyle for college competition.

"Bubba's obviously made some great strides," Penn State coach Troy Sunderland said. "He feels strong and comfortable at 149, and it's a good fit for him. He had a great summer and a good experience overseas that has really helped him. He was a pretty confident kid already, but you could really see him gain even more confidence when he won the Junior World title."

Jenkins also isn't resting on what he accomplished this summer.

"Bubba is always looking to get better and expand his repertoire," Sunderland said. "He picks things up quickly. He's very quick and explosive. He is in that category where he can beat anybody in the country on any given day."

Jenkins is part of a strong Penn State team that won a big early-season road dual at then-No. 3 Oklahoma State this past weekend in Stillwater, Okla. Jenkins delivered a key pin in the Nittany Lions' 21-18 win.

"We have a really strong team," he said. "Just come in our wrestling room and you will see how intense it is. It's very, very competitive. Our team is wrestling phenomenal right now. Beating Oklahoma State let us know we are one of the top teams in the country. But we still have room for improvement. None of us have peaked yet."

Jenkins has a strong mentor in Penn State senior Phil Davis, a three-time All-American at 197. Davis was an NCAA runner-up in 2006.

"Phil is one of the reasons I came to Penn State," Jenkins said. "He's a good captain and a good leader. He's wrestling better than I have ever seen him. He's at the top of his game and I don't think he's going to be denied this year."

Jenkins competes in a loaded 149 class that includes past NCAA champion Dustin Schlatter of Minnesota along with NCAA runner-up Josh Churella of Michigan, All-American Lance Palmer of Ohio State and talented newcomer Brent Metcalf of Iowa.

The Big Ten tournament at 149 will resemble a mini-NCAA tournament.

"I love the challenge we have with all the tough wrestlers in this weight class," Jenkins said. "I know I'm capable of beating anybody. Our coaches prepare us to beat Godzilla, so I will take on anybody."

The guy at 149 many people want to see Jenkins face is another super sophomore in second-ranked Darrion Caldwell of North Carolina State. Caldwell, like Jenkins, is an athletic wrestler who can put points on the board in a hurry. Caldwell caught and pinned Metcalf earlier this season.

Caldwell also was involved in arguably the most talked about match of the 2007 NCAA Championships when he took a huge early lead before being pinned by Northwestern's Ryan Lang in a fast-paced match. Fans gave the wrestlers a standing ovation after that bout.

"I would love to wrestle Caldwell," Jenkins said. "It could be one of those fantasy-type, action-packed matches where we both really get after it. It would be exciting, that's for sure. That match might end up 41-40 in six overtimes. We both have a lot we can do from our feet and we scramble well. We both can get the crowd going."

Jesse Jenkins III said his nickname of Bubba was given to him by his mother, Teresa.

"I was an 11-pound baby - I was really fat," he said. "If there would have been another baby next to me in my crib, I probably would've tried to eat him. I was so big that my mom started calling me Bubba and then pretty much everybody started calling me that."

Jenkins lost his father, Jesse II, to muscular dystrophy when Bubba was nine years old. His grandfather, Jesse I, passed away last month.

"I'm dedicating this season to my grandfather," Bubba said. "He was a preacher. He was a powerful man and a great mentor to me. I loved him a lot. I think about him all the time."

Jenkins has a close relationship with his mother.

"My mom is the leading lady in my life," he said. "She's a strong woman and I owe her a lot. I love her to death. When I decide to get married, I want my wife to be the same type of person as my mom."

Shortly after winning his Junior World title at 66 kg/145.5 lbs., Jenkins was on Bennett's cell phone calling his mother halfway across the World back in the U.S.

"I think she was screaming for about 25 of the 30 minutes I talked to her," Jenkins said. "She was going crazy on the phone. She was so excited and she was definitely proud of me. She has my gold medal displayed on the mantle at her house. It's in a black and red velvet case, and it's all shiny so it immediately catches your eye when you walk in the house."

The outgoing Jenkins has a magnetic personality.

"I love Bubba - he's a great kid who keeps everybody loose with his personality," said Bennett, who helped coach Jenkins to his Junior World title. "He's coachable, he listens well, he's very polite and he's fun to be around. He's just a delight to work with."

Even before weigh-ins, when nobody is in a good mood, Jenkins can make everybody feel better.

"Bubba is definitely charismatic," Sunderland said. "We were weighing in at Michigan and Phil Davis was talking to me about a dream he had that 197 was going to be the starting weight class for the dual. Phil was saying, 'I had a dream, I had a dream' and then Bubba said, 'Who do you think you are, Martin Luther King?' It broke the tension and had everybody laughing. Even the Michigan guys were laughing."

Jenkins, who is studying communications at Penn State, said life is too short to not be in a good mood.

"I can make anybody smile - I can make the Grinch smile," he said. "I have fun and try to enjoy life. If you're in a bad mood, just come around me and we'll be the two happiest people on Earth. I can cheer people up by cracking jokes and making them laugh."

Jenkins is eligible to compete at the Junior World Championships again in 2008. Once he completes the college season, his focus will shift to trying to repeat his magical freestyle feat of 2007.

"The U.S. has never had a two-time Junior World champion," Jenkins said. "I definitely have my sights set on doing that and then the 2012 Olympics. I may try Mixed Martial Arts and the (Ultimate Fighting Championships) after that."

Jenkins' pre-meet ritual of dancing while he warms up caught the attention of a young fan prior to the recent dual at Oklahoma State.

"A little kid called out to me from the crowd," Jenkins said. "He said, 'Somebody should call Bubba the Candy Man because his moves are so sweet.' That made me laugh."

So what does Jenkins have planned if he wins an NCAA title this March in St. Louis?

"I'm sure everybody would be waiting for me to do something," Jenkins said with a laugh. "I would try to do something the fans would enjoy and remember. You can't just walk off the mat if you win a big tournament. I would celebrate in a good way and let all my emotions out. If I win it, I will definitely do a little Shimmy Shake again. You can count on that.