In the Nov. 21 edition of The Spectrum, senior wrestler Kyle Cerminara said that his goal is to "dominate everyone." Although it was assumed that he meant he wanted to dominate everyone on the wrestling mat, The Spectrum has found out that he also applies his philosophy to everyday life.
"He really does dominate everyone," said teammate Garrett Hicks. "One time we were watching Mary Poppins and out of nowhere, Kyle jumped off the couch and knocked the TV off of the entertainment center. I was really upset because that is my favorite movie. All he said was that he wanted to 'dominate Mary Poppins.' "
Cerminara's daily supremacy has caused problems with long-time girlfriend Carly Rubin. Rubin said that her boyfriend's need to govern every aspect of life has put stress on their relationship.
"I love him but sometimes he just takes it too far," Rubin said. "Like, for instance, he always has to sleep on top of the sheets. And don't get me started on his eating habits. He always has to be the first one done. The way he insists on shoveling the food into his mouth and then stands up and raises both hands when he is done has made it almost impossible for us to go out to dinner."
Rubin added that on their first date Cerminara took her to see "Troy" but the couple was asked to leave the theater early.
"At the beginning of the movie after Achilles killed that really big guy, he then says, 'Is there no one else?' " Rubin explained. "Kyle stood up and shouted, 'There is Kyle Cerminara!' When he refused to sit back down, we were asked to leave."
Cerminara's controlling nature has also been a distraction in the classroom for students and professors. Professor Leonard Willmont said that the competitive grappler raises his hand for every question, even if he doesn't know the answer.
"He always has his hand up," Willmont said. "I'm always glad to see students take an active role but he has to answer every question whether he knows the answer or not. One class I stopped calling on him so the next class he just left his hand up the entire time. It was a three-hour lecture."
Even when relaxing, Cerminara still makes sure to rule everything around him. Cerminara's next-door neighbor, Ed Potter, said that the first time he saw the All-American wrestler walking his dog he was a bit disturbed.
"Kyle is a nice kid but he needs to calm down," Potter said. "I see him walk his dog everyday and he refuses to let it walk in front of him. It's really a strange thing to see. The dog gets confused and doesn't know what to do. I asked him about it one time and all he said was, 'I dominate Spot.' "
Cerminara's authoritative outlook isn't a new habit. Even as a young child he made sure to dictate every aspect of his life. Terri Underwood was Cerminara's kindergarten teacher and said that at the age of five, he was always concerned with one-upping the other students.
"He did it with everything," she said. "He had to be the first in line, he walked on top of the monkey bars during play time and he insisted on sleeping on my desk during nap time, to be above the other students. Finger painting wasn't even an option."
Cerminara's mother Joanne said that she doesn't know where her son got his take-over attitude from, but that he has always been that way.
"He's a good boy, he's just very competitive," she said. "Sometimes it has been a problem, like in church when he refused to kneel while praying. The priest was very upset and Kyle kept saying that there was no way he was going to lower himself to anyone who didn't have the courage to show their face."
Cerminara said that in his quest to tower above everyone he has fallen short in only one area.
"I just can't get that shoe-tying thing down," he said. "The bunny ear thing always throws me off. I usually get my fingers tangled up in the laces and then Garrett has to cut them free. For now I stick with Velcro but I am determined to dominate those sneakers. No one ever said absolute domination was easy."
