Wrestling was never just a hobby for Kyle Dake. The Olympic legend is taking his passion for wrestling to the next level — not only as an athlete but as part owner of the recent downtown State College addition Vitality Wellness Club, focused on prioritizing wellness.

Dake’s career started at four years old when his father and grandfather inspired him to get into the gym and learn the wrestling craft.

“I just loved going because it was something I could do with my dad and something I enjoyed doing,” Dake said. “It let me get a lot of energy out as a kid, and I was good at it.”

After realizing he had a knack for the sport, Dake pursued wrestling more seriously and committed to Cornell for his college career. Even though it was just a short six-mile drive from his house and he had spent time at Cornell before college, the university lifestyle brought many new changes for Dake in academics, life on his own, and wrestling rigor.

Thanks to some summer training, he worked to improve his physicality and prepare for the college season ahead of him. One of the primary challenges Dake encountered was moving up weight groups. Entering his collegiate career, he was committed to wrestling at 141 pounds, though he moved up to a more natural weight of 157 pounds later.

“Each time it was a little bit different of a challenge because I was bumping up to the next weight class. There was someone who was running supreme over that weight before me,” Dake said.

Through all the highs and lows, Dake found massive success at Cornell and was a four-time national champion.

As he moved into his professional adult wrestling career, Dake was forced to adapt his mindset and grow with the changes in the sport.

“The way I approach life is a lot different than the way I did in college. I’m a lot more in tune with my body, knowing how I need to recover, how I need to train, what I need to eat, how I need to manage my stress, all of those things that when you’re young, you think don’t matter. You start to realize that it adds up over time,” Dake said.

Moving beyond his college career, Dake wrestled in a series of World Wrestling Championships, beginning in 2018. Dake sought to repeat in 2019 and 2021 but was injured right before the Olympics. This, coupled with isolation from COVID-19, didn’t stop him from bringing home a bronze medal in 2020.

“Family not being in Tokyo was really, really difficult. We were isolated and didn’t really have much freedom to move,” Dake said.

As for this summer’s Olympic Games, Dake said they might have been his favorite yet. Between the atmosphere, opening ceremonies, and a heavy focus on wrestling, he hauled in another bronze medal.

“I competed with courage and gratitude, I had fun, and I scored a lot of points. So if those are my four goals, I definitely achieved that. I didn’t get the gold medal, but it was still good,” Dake said.

Sometimes success is about those who walk — or wrestle — alongside you on the journey. For Dake, that person is renowned wrestler David Taylor.

The pair became friends in their youth around 2004 when they compared wrestling styles and competed. The friendship morphed into training together in Taylor’s hometown in Ohio during holidays and sessions at Cornell over the summer.

After some more friendly competition through the years, they became roommates as they started to make World Championship-level rosters. The duo began traveling and training more together, but Taylor was insistent that Dake needed to train at Penn State.

After a lot of persistence from Taylor and a few trips over to Happy Valley, Dake decided to move his family to the State College area in 2022. Ultimately, he felt it was the best way to train and prepare for the 2024 Olympics, and he became a member of the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club.

Wrestling wasn’t the only reason Taylor convinced Dake to move to Central Pennsylvania. He also had a business proposition up his sleeve.

After realizing that recovery, health, and wellness were even more important as they aged, the two decided to collaborate to open Vitality Wellness Club, located downtown at 114 S. Garner St., to help serve students, athletes, and the local community.

“There were a lot of synergies there between David and I wanting to start something that was a little bit different than what other people had to offer, and I think we did a really good job,” Dake said. “It’s a beautiful space, and we have something customizable for everybody, and there’s a lot that we can do for the community at large.”

Seeking to bring his best-of-the-best mentality into a professional space has been an exciting experience for Dake. After spending years trying to figure out how to optimize his personal performance, he wants to share what he has learned to better serve the people around him.

Founded around the premise of “social wellness,” Vitality Wellness Club offers a space where folks can go out and do something for themselves, but have people around them doing the same thing. Taylor and Dake hope people realize that, just like their wrestling careers, one’s wellness journey doesn’t have to be isolated, either.

“I realized if I want to get better at wrestling, I need to do it with other people who love wrestling, who are great at it, which is a reason why I came down to Penn State,” Dake said.

Dake constantly checks in on many of the hands-on responsibilities of the business before heading into his family wrestling practice in the afternoon. Whether it’s fixing a cold plunge or checking in with the general manager, he plays a key role in the success of the emerging business.

One of the greatest gifts becoming a new business owner has given him is the flexibility to spend quality time with his family.

“Having a family has been my greatest achievement,” Dake said.

Dake continues to prioritize his core value of family and enjoys a slower pace after the Olympics. While his future career plans are undecided, he’s taking the time to pour into all of the things he loves: family, wrestling, and the Vitality Wellness Club.