Story by Matt Brents

I don't have a story of how great a wrestler I was. I never had a chance at wrestling in college. I was proudly a 3 year varsity member at my high school by filling gaps in the line up, whether it be by cutting 20 pounds, or wrestling up 20 pounds, just to be on the mat. What I do have, is a story of how wrestling changed me from the very start.

I was not very good when I started wrestling in the 8th grade. But through hard work and an instant love of the sport, I won my first tournament towards the end of the season. I also broke my hand in the final match unfortunately. I had to sit out several weeks but I was able to come back for the last tournament of the season.  I was really pumped to be back, until my conditioning was gone and I gave up an 8-0 lead in the 3rd period and lost in overtime. I was in the middle of puking in the nearest trash can when my dad told me my next opponent. He was the mentally challenged kid who showed up to every tournament and never won a match. He couldn't come close to competing with everyone else, but that didn't stop his love for the sport. My dad then laid out my options. Forfeit my next match. I was way out of shape and had little hope of winning a match. Win my next match, conserve my energy, and go for a quick pin in my matches after. Or I could go out and lose. That's what I chose to do.

I didn't think anything special of it. The way he jumped up and ran to his dad, everyone telling me I did an awesome thing, none of that meant anything to me for years. As a 14 year old wrestler I was just doing what my coaches had been preaching all year. Help out even you fall short. Yes they meant the team, but that day he was apart of my team.

In no other sport would he have been out there for me to have that opportunity. No other sport I have done (which is a lot of them!) under any circumstances would have compelled me to do a selfless act for someone else such as this. Ever since then I have taken that selflessness to heart and participate in community service events as often as I can. Wrestling shaped every aspect of who I am today. That is the magic of wrestling.

Matt Brents
Las Vegas, Nevada