| I’m Ash. I’m 17. I wasn’t always a wrestler, but I was always a fighter. My dad often recounts about how I’d constantly pick fights with him. He realized when I pressed all 260 lbs of him off of me, after I got crushed at the ripe age of 14, that I was tenacious. Looking back, though, I didn’t have anywhere stable to direct this energy. I’d switch between sports every year or two, even ones I was good at. Track, Rock Climbing, Archery, Football….
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| Then I went through some hard times. For a few years in my life between 12 and 16, everything was upside down. Home, school, my health on all levels. It was a dark time where I really questioned if it was worth it to keep going. It’s difficult for me to look back and process the things that happened. One of the only things I found certainty in was that both sides of my family were long lines of fighters. Whether it be the boxers on my dad’s side or the strong mothers on my mom’s, they all had that in common.
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| I never felt like I measured up to that level. At one point though, I figured that my life would be incomplete without fighting. I eventually moved to Vegas and decided to start grappling at Drysdale’s Jiu-Jitsu. The first day was completely humbling. I got submitted at least five times per person. But I came back. And the next day, and the next day. I became consistent. |
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| I have a feeling that the coaches noticed this and there was an unspoken understanding because I put in the work. Coach Nunes and Coach Drysdale were always down to earth. I came home beat up many days. But it was worth the lessons I learned both from the coaches and the training. After a few months, I signed up for a tournament. I did alright for my first time. However, I’ll never forget one match where I remember the teammates coaching me and yelling over and over to shoot. I didn’t know what that meant, and we tied because of it. |
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| Later, I asked an assistant coach, Coach Shawn who was known for being a wrestler, what a shot was. He not only showed me, but we did practices a few times every week. The ability to take someone down made a world of difference in my game. I had a taste of wrestling and I was hungry for more. After a month or two, I signed up for wrestling at my school. Honestly, in the beginning, I couldn’t even hold a stance for more than 30 seconds. It was embarrassing for me because as an upperclassman, in this sport, you’re expected to have some experience. It was also embarrassing to lose so often in practice, but I kept showing up and putting in the work. Coach Perry and Coach Dickman are my coaches here, and I will always appreciate the opportunity to learn from them. They are showing me the path, now I just have to walk it. |
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| After a few weeks, I began taking some people down. Then I pinned somebody. Then I pinned two people. I had a taste of skill and got even hungrier. I was still going through things during this time, so practice served as an escape where I could just clear my mind and forget about everything else. A few weeks before season, the eligibility process began. Because I had transferred from out of state and my parents had split, I needed paperwork and more paperwork and had to jump through many bureaucratic hoops. It took months. I wasn’t able to compete, but I just kept my head down and worked because deep down I didn’t feel ready anyways. |
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| Out of nowhere, the news came that I was finally eligible. I took up the Varsity spot for my weight a week before one of the hardest tournaments of the season locally. I was so nervous that I forgot everything and felt half as strong. I went 1 and 4 and went home to deal with my emotions on my own. I wanted to quit. The team only got 3rd, and even though it was my first time I felt responsible for giving up so many points. I’ve never felt like more of a failure. There was little time for moping, because the next tournament was a few days later–JV states. To my surprise, I took First. I think my teammates were just as shocked as I was. The brightest memory was the hug I gave to my dad who was in the stands after the Finals. I felt like I had made him proud and that was a feeling I’d been chasing for a long time. There was little time to celebrate, though. |
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| Regionals were in just two weeks. I had earned back my Varsity spot. I trained just as hard and got 3rd, qualifying for states. Then, weeks later, the state tournament. All of these matches were pretty hard. The competition quickly got harder. My style was to grind them out with positioning and a good motor, and that’s what I did. I still remember the smile on my coach’s face when he took the picture of me on the podium. I had medaled at States in my first year after just months of practice and two tournaments. I felt like I had not only proven myself to others, but most importantly, to myself. |
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| I rested for two weeks and got back to practice. It might sound like I didn’t give myself time to celebrate, but I had fallen in love with the process, and I didn’t come that far to only get that far. Besides, I still feel like I have some catching up to do. In July, I broke my collarbone at the Purler wrestling camp in Missouri. It was a freak accident really, but stuff happens. I was rightly scared that it would put a dent in my season. However, I healed in just four weeks. It healed straight and I’ve been back like new. The biggest result of the injury was that I will never take the ability to practice, or even move freely, for granted again. |
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| I’ve been working all summer and I’m still working to this day. I don’t plan on stopping either. The only way for me to really feel ready is to know I’ve exhausted every opportunity to get better. That is what I will continue to do. I’m looking forward to the Doc B tournament and the opportunity to compete in the upcoming season.
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If you are one of my practice partners, you know who you are. I am very Grateful for you because without you, I would not be where I am.
Thank You.
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