Story by Nick Tucker

When thinking about how to write a story of the impact wrestling has had on my life it became like seeing my life change before my eyes. Just like all others who have participated in this great sport, we know that it shapes us more than we ever shape it. That is why it has been around for thousands of years and why it should NEVER be excluded from the Olympics! So I will try to briefly describe the impact wrestle is having on me.    

  

Growing up in a small town in Alabama, wrestling found me as an 7^th graders. It was then that my little brother signed up for the new youth league wrestling. Since I was not participating in the MS program I had to go to practices and tournaments with him. The competition in all boys meant that I ended up practicing with them and competing at the final tournament of the year. I was hooked but did not know it. I spent the next year getting thrown around the MS Lunchroom and learning what it meant to take care of property and work. Weighing all of 60lb, maybe, it was an experience. Wrestling totally hooked me as a freshman entering the HS practice room that seemed HUGE at the time but looking back was basically the size of one mat. I still remember to wrestle off match that I had decided before hand would determine if I keep wrestling. It was against another freshman who has wrestled for two years and was WAY more athletic than me. All I knew was to never give up and this is what wrestling wants! People who never give up. I won that match and knew after that match that my focus was now to win a state title. The program was part of a rich tradition in the state, having won 14 total state titles and numerous individual titles. I was part of that tradition and part of wrestling.

Over the next three year I would love to say I won numerous state titles and team titles but that never happened. We were always in the top 5 but I never achieved my dream. Something else happened during that time; I realized this sport was meant to me my means to enjoy life! I decided as a sophomore to pursue wrestling in college and major in education to teach and be a wrestling coach. After high school I attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. I was a 110lb freshman trying to survive the college room at 118 then at 125. I spent those first three years battling in that room, mostly getting beat down but learning more about how the sport builds character! Through that endurance I was able to get mat time in those three years. The results were not in my favor but the work had paid off and my dream was realized.  Concussions ended my career as a junior but I was still part of the team and wrestling was now definitely in me.

I have spent the past 12 years coaching wrestling along with softball, volleyball, and football. Wrestling is my passion and that has been my hook to every kid I have ever coached. When I think about all the kids I have coached and am currently coaching it is not the kids who have become champions and excelled that I think about. It is the development of all these guys into young men who can handle any challenge that comes at them. It is the bonds of former teammates that continue to grow as we reunited any chance we can and tell stories. It is watch the families grow of these same teammates. Through coaching I have been able to develop relationships with coaches who have been in the sport for decades and had them become not just mentors but trusted friends. The sport has taken me across this great nation but more importantly it has taught me that there are very few things tougher in life than being an undersized and under skilled JH and college wrestler. As long as you trust your teammate, who will never turn their back you if you are giving them all you have, you will have guys that will always support you. In that endurance you understand that you must have faith in yourself above all that people tell you. Every season is a new endeavor yet I continue to use wrestling to teach the young men about becoming responsible men in society. They get the stories of success and the stories of getting thrown around a practice room. This way they know that I have been in their shoes and understand what they face. To think that wrestling could no longer be in the Olympics drives me nuts along with these guys who are now seeing where the sport could take them thanks to the journey it has me traveling. I know God gave me to wrestling so I could use it to spread his word and show young men that life will be tough but not as tough as wrestling practice.

Nick Tucker

Auburn, AL

Story by Mercedes Rash

When I first met my husband, I had a rambunctious 2  year old son. When he was 3, my husband suggested we put him into wrestling because he loved the sport and thought it would be a good place for him to let loose some of his energy. The results were amazing. He instantly fell in love with the sport and found a positive place to put his energy. He is now 8 and has a goal to win Gold like Jordan Burroughs, after being a 4 time NCAA champion like Kyle of course. He has the confidence to dream big because of wrestling. I was also amazed by the wrestling community. Wrestling families have a unique relationship. We feel a connection with one another wherever we go. The affects of being a part of this community extends throughout your life. We own a small business and it has grown over the last 5 years beyond out expectations and wrestling has a great deal to do with that. When we talk to prospective clients and they notice us wearing our wrestling club t-shirts, we almost instantly get the job. Its funny, wrestlers just believe in other wrestlers. They instantly know that we believe in hard work and dedication. It also amazes me how it is global. We were on vacation in the Grand Cayman and we went to go rent a car. The manager was making small talk and asked us about our kids. Once again, wrestling came up, because we are proud parents, and we instantly made a friend. His son lives in Florida and wrestles also. Suddenly, we had a free upgrade to a luxury car and the guy was excited about doing this for us because we were a member of his wrestling family. I would hate to see wrestling in the Olympics go away. It would break my heart to have to tell my son that he cannot achieve one of his goals because they took one of the most challenging and exciting sports out of the Olympics. I urge the committee to watch a few little league matches before they make their decision. Future leaders are molded on wrestling mats. Boys and Girls learn that hard work and dedication take you far. They learn how to win graciously and lose with dignity. I know my son will be a better man because of wrestling and I look forward to seeing him win his Gold. 

Thanks, 

Mercedes Rash

Story by Mike Houston Sr

Wrestling has done so very much for me but the one stand out quality I received from wrestling would have to be mental toughness. I have suffered through 8 back surgeries by the time I was 45 years old (I'm 46 now). My latest condition happened when I fell at work in 2005. For much of the time from Dec 2005 until Sept 2011 I spent most of my time on the couch or in bed. I gained over 80 pounds. I lost my hearing in my right ear during a back surgery in 2006 and I now have extreme tinnitus in that ear. In August of 2010 I was having chest pains. I went to an emergency care center and they hooked me up to an EKG machine. Shortly after that they placed me on oxygen and rushed me to their main hospital. The ER Dr. was afraid I would have a massive heart attack. My heart began to deteriorate due to lack of exercise and my enzymes were elevated. Since the heart is a muscle, it needs to be worked like a muscle. There were many days I did not think I would be able to carry on but I kept thinking back on my wrestling days at Marist High School and Eastern Illinois University. This would keep my frame of mind positive and I would often remember how hard I practiced and trained and this really got me over the toughest of times.

I was never the best wrestler but like I tell my kids, the life lessons learned from wrestling are the same if you are an Olympic Gold medalist or a high school practice room partner. I now have lost all the weight I had gained and although I battle with chronic back and right leg pain, my quality of life has gotten much better.

In fact, I now started an all girl wrestling program in Illinois and hope to continue to build girl/female wrestling in Illinois and across the country.

Thank you for allowing me to tell my story.

Best regards,

Mike Houston Sr.

Story by Colin Leypoldt

What Wrestling Has Done For Me.

I began wrestling when I was six. I remember being so scared going out on that mat. My first season I placed third or fourth at most tournaments but the groundwork was set and I was hooked. The next season I won almost every match I had except a few times when I came in second to my teammate. I got most improved wrestler that year and took home some pretty awesome trophies.

My third year I met the Galloway’s and they would forever change the way I looked, felt about, and talked about wrestling. I worked hard and always pushed myself to be better. I wanted to wrestle in the biggest, toughest tournaments and even though I didn't always win I learned something and kept trying. I practiced year round, running, lifting, wrestling. Wrestling was teaching me more than just how to wrestle but also how to be a gracious, humble man.

I was a decent wrestler, made team Nebraska a few years, took home the Triple Crown for winning freestyle, folk style, and Greco state. Last year we moved to Colorado and I was able to take fourth at Colorado All-State. I was on top of the world.

I battled through some pretty crazy things. Things I didn't really understand at the time. I would pass out and stop breathing, I had to go see lots of doctors, but everyone kept saying I was ok. But then a little over a year ago the doctors finally figured out what was going on. They diagnosed me with Fahr’s disease. They told me I had calcifications in my brain and that it would get worse and make it so I can't walk and talk and eventually it will kill me. It's super rare and there is no treatment or cure. I think there are only a handful of people in the world with it.

I heard the doctors but I am a wrestler and wrestlers don't quit. We fight until the last second and that is just what I plan on doing. I have some really bad days with 70 or more seizures. I can't walk or think right some times and my hand and foot lock up from time to time, but nothing is going to stop me. I set a goal to be a high school state wrestling champ and I know I can do it. I will stand on the world stage like Jordan Burroughs and wear my medal proudly for wrestling has taught me to be a fighter and to never give up even when the future looks the bleakest.

Last week I was finally able to get back on the mat it was so tough after not being able to move much the past several months but I wrestled. I can proudly stand on or off the podium today and say I am still a champion! I will never give up, I will never lose hope in a cure, I will never stop inspiring others to do the impossible. Defy all odds, set your goals, and dream big. It will take hard work, dedication, persistent, and skill but wrestling has already taught me all those things!! The rest is easy!!

By Colin Leypoldt

Story by Ben Fiers

I started wrestling way back in the first grade. I loved every minute of it. My parents would take me to a Saturday tournament and on our way home I would ask them to find a tournament for me to wrestle on Sunday. As the years went by I attended Ken Chertow's camps in the summer and fall. I learned so much more than just wrestling at those camps. I learned teamwork, respect for my opponent, and how to build a strong mind and body. I was always a big kid, so my Dad started moving me up a weight/age bracket for tougher competition. Sometimes I won and sometimes I lost. During that time I learned how to lose with my head held high and win with dignity. Over the eight years in youth wrestling I placed several times at the youth state tourney and even took first at Nationals my 8th grade year.

As I moved into high school I made the varsity team as a Freshman at 189 lbs. That is when I met Coach Jason Lulloff. He was just out of college where he was a wrestler at UW LaCrosse. He handed me my butt everyday at practice and I vowed that one day I would hand him his. I had a rough year that year always being the Freshman up against the Seniors. But it all paid off when I took champion at my sectionals and advanced to the State tournament. I didn't get far at State but it was an experience I will never forget.

Sophomore year I decided to drop to 171lbs. I was back in an element of wrestling I really enjoyed. At 189lbs it was alot of muscling your opponent but at 171lbs it was fast and alot of technical moves. I did awesome that year and took champion at both my regional and sectional. I advanced to the State tournament and was on a roll. I came up against a buddy of mine from a rival school in the semi-final round. He threw me....I landed wrong and broke my collar bone. He felt horrible but I knew it was the nature of the beast. I ended up placing sixth at State that year.

My junior year started off with a bang. I was in the best shape of my life both mentally and physically. I was wrestling 170lb and was undefeated going into the toughest match of the year. This guy was ranked #1 in the state and 4th in the nation. I was ready and pinned him in the third period. I knew then and there it was my turn to make a run for state champion! One week later on Christmas Eve 2011, I was in a horrific car crash and suffered a severe traumatic brain injury. From what I was told I was not expected to live. I spent 6 weeks in a coma. My family,friends and wrestling team stayed by my side every day. Mom and Dad would say "don't worry he will make it, he's a wrestler!" I did come out of that coma and spent 5 months in a rehab unit relearning everything from swallowing to eventually walking. I never felt like giving up, that wasn't even a word I knew. As a wrestler I had learned to stay strong and push through, no matter what's thrown at you. That hard work and dedication are sometimes the only thing that gets you to the next day. During my recovery the "WRESTLING FAMILY" from across Wisconsin rallied together to support my family. We were amazed by their generosity and out pouring of love that came from friends and strangers alike.

For the next year I worked hard to get back to wrestling (against all my Dr's. better judgement) It was my senior year and I wanted to wrestle. When the time came for wrestling season to start, all I could think of was getting on that mat. I finally convinced one of my Dr's. to allow me to go to wrestling practice. I had to wear boxing head gear and could only wrestle with Coach Lulloff. I wanted so badly for my brain to remember how to pull off the moves but my response time was so slow that it wasn't safe for me. I continued to support my team through out the season. I was mat side for every dual and tournament. Those guys are my family, they showed me unconditional support. Although I won't be able to fulfill my dream of wresting for a college, I will always live the life of a wrestler.

Thanks for reading my story.

Ben Fiers

Holmen High School

Holmen Wi

Story by Jacques DeVore

Why I support Wrestling in the Olympics!

I have been thinking a lot about wrestling lately because of the recent decision of the IOC to eliminate the sport from the Olympics. It made me want to write a little about my experience and the impact the sport had on my life. 

Wrestling as a Life Sport

The photo (go ahead and laugh) above was taken right before I had my first match and first defeat as a wrestler many years ago. I was a sophomore in high school. I remember the lesson as if it was yesterday! 

Wrestling is what I call a “life sport”. Like life, if you decide to quit you will probably get beat up and eventually pinned. In most sports the humiliation is spread around. In wrestling you have to be willing to risk being humiliated individually in front of friends and family. Ask anyone you know who earned something meaningful and they will most likely tell you they had to risk great loss and humiliation to realize that success. I think that too often today this lesson is muted so that people do not have to deal with the reality and the risk of losing and possible humiliation. The value of competitive sport for life comes from embracing these lessons, not pretending they do not exist. 

Wrestling is unique, as it does not allow for the muting of these lessons. In wrestling self-esteem is earned and risked; not given! To be successful takes discipline, sacrifice, and in many cases toiling in obscurity for not much more than the nobility that comes from being in the battle and not getting pinned. Wrestlers recognize the value that comes from the struggle and carry that value into the rest of their lives. I was lucky that I found wrestling. I hope other young men and women get lucky and find this sport as I did.

Where the lessons started

I attended a 3 year high school so when I became a sophomore I was just taking PE classes. I wanted to play football, but the coach said I was too skinny and I would most likely get hurt. This coach’s decision was a big disappointment at the time. Someone mentioned wrestling to me so I went in and met the coach and told him I was interested in wrestling. He told me that they had already been practicing and had the first match that week. If I wanted to wrestle, I had to come to practice and “wrestle off” for the 98lb weight class position. I would have to challenge the current wrestler occupying the varsity spot. This was a match in order to wrestle the match. 

I weighed all of about 85 lbs. soaking wet, and stood about 5’ 6”. 

I had no clue about competitive wrestling other than wrestling around in the yard. 

I was nervous to wrestle off a boy named Duke who was the current varsity wrestler. He was a muscular kid and I was nervous. Even his name was intimidating! I just went out there like the Tasmanian devil and much to my surprise ended up beating him for the varsity spot. I was pretty excited, but had no idea what was in store for me. Be careful what you wish for! 

I Get My Butt Kicked (over and over again):

Two nights later I had my first match. They put the mat in the cafeteria as the gym had a basketball game going on and basketball was always the priority sport. There had to be only about 25 spectators including my teammates. I was given a uniform, borrowed some shoes, knee pads, and headgear and went out to meet a kid who was a senior and one of the best wrestlers in the state of California in my weight class. He was built like a gorilla and pinned me in the first period. My teammates and coaches were yelling out advice from the side of the mat; however all I know was that in a very short time, like a slow motion car crash, I was on my back looking up at the lights and it was over. I went to the center of the mat and we shook hands and then they raised his hand. This was my first match and the first loss in my wrestling career. 

The next three matches were more of the same humiliation. I was pinned in all three. I was angry that I was that bad. I was wondering if this was the sport for me. Quitting definitely crossed my mind. 

The Payoff

Then like a shot between the eyes the first of many lessons of wrestling was delivered. Its genesis was the humiliation of losing by being pinned. I started thinking of what being pinned really meant. I realized that even though I had no idea what I was doing; getting pinned was quitting. People always pay lip service to not quitting, but wrestling is one of the few sports that really reinforce the ideal and clearly demonstrates the consequences. Wrestling matches can end in seconds if your opponent can dominate you and hold your shoulders to the mat and pin you. No points needed just total domination by your opponent on the mat. I vowed at that moment to do everything I could to not be pinned again. I figured that no matter how bad someone beat me in points I was not going to let them pin me. 

I worked on strengthening my neck and learned how to fight like hell off my back. I actually started looking forward to not letting someone pin me. I would regularly get my head handed to me that first year but I would finish the match with a smile on my face and respect from my opponent. Both of us knew that he beat me, but we also knew he could not pin me. Slowly but surely I got better. I was never pinned again and finally got good enough to go through the season undefeated in my senior year and went on to wrestle at UC Davis. 

Wrestling gave me some of the biggest lessons of my life. Everyone gets beat, but only by giving up can someone pin you. I draw on these lessons regularly in my life today.

Many of my closest friends (you guys know who you are) today are guys that were thrown in this crucible with me. We endured hard practices, cutting weight, training hour after hour so we could put at risk our self-esteem for the whole world to witness. We tested our bodies and our wills weekly on a mat. It was absolutely glorious to suffer with these guys. We shared the glory, defeats and sacrifices of this special sport and special time in our lives. 

These same wrestlers, a long way from their last match, now deal with the ups and downs of life and family with the nobility of wrestlers, and they are all safe in the knowledge that they can handle anything that is thrown at them. It is a wonderful fraternity of boys who carried the lessons of wrestling into their lives as men. 

This fraternity belongs to anyone who has stepped onto a mat, shaken hands, and squared off with an opponent. The greatest thing about this sport is that it does not matter whether you are an Olympic champion or lost every match you ever wrestled the lessons are the same. Even the most decorated wrestlers must walk the same path. 

There is an acknowledgement and respect that is shared between wrestlers. When someone tells me they wrestled we both know we are part of this special group of people who were privileged to compete in this sport. There is no other sport quite like it! If you were lucky enough to wrestle you know what I am talking about. If you were not lucky enough, I can guarantee that your life has been positively impacted by this sport directly or indirectly. 

IOC 

I have read a lot recently about wrestling and the International Olympic Committee’s decision to cut it out of the 2020 Olympics. This is a tragedy for a sport that contributes so much to both young and old throughout the world. Wrestling has passed the test of time and earned its place in the Olympics.

In today’s world we exalt entrepreneurs and visionaries. Young people are told to follow their dreams; however few recognize the work that is involved in realizing that dream. They also do not realize that getting pinned may also be part of what realizing that dream requires. Wrestlers understand this concept. I think that somewhere in our recent history these lessons have become much less accessible.

Wrestlers are the entrepreneurs of the sporting world. Most never get much recognition, take huge risk, and toil long hours to build something that is meaningful to them. Win, lose, or draw the lessons are carried forward. Wrestling is a noble sport and I hope the groundswell of support for wrestling brings this great “life sport” back to the Olympics. 

You can go to Keep Wrestling in the Olympics to find out more and support this great sport. 

Train smart, have fun, and you will prevail!

Jacques DeVore, CSCS

President Titan Sports Performance and Sirens Fitness 

www.titansb.com www.sirensfitness.wordpress.com

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