Athlete of the Month
Charley Timms

Pictures and Content courtesy of CharleyTimms

Hi! My name is Charley Timms. I am currently a 15-year-old sophomore at Reed High school, Sparks, NV. Before I say anything else, I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without his goodness I would not be here today receiving all these blessings. It all started in October of 7th grade when an All-Girls Wrestling Club called Khutulun came to my middle school and started some practices. I remember I missed the first practice because I was out of town, and I was so sad and thought I couldn’t join anymore. My mom emailed Coach Klapp, and he said it was totally fine for me to come to the next practice and start. I was really excited for this opportunity because I had been thinking about college and scholarships, so this was my perfect chance to start something new.
As the club season was going on, the high school season was also happening. Coach Klapp had invited me to come to the high school practice to get some extra work in. I was so thrilled that coach was paying attention to me. I went to the practice and things were a lot different. There were a lot of teenagers, boys and girls. The practice was also a lot harder than my small middle school club practice. I was wrestling with a boy on the team, and I felt very out of my comfort zone. After the practice a girl came up to me and introduced herself as Maria. She told me that next time I came in I should practice over with the bigger girls. It felt nice to be welcomed. This was only the beginning of my Reed cafeteria journey.
I didn’t go to a lot of the high school practices after that one, but I was still enjoying wrestling. The real middle school season had begun shortly after the club season, and I was pumped knowing that I had already been learning some stuff. I had fun during that time getting to know the sport better and getting closer to some people. I will admit that it wasn’t all smooth sailing. There were plenty of times that I felt like quitting, but the support I got from the high school girls that dedicated their free time to coach me helped keep me on a straight path.
That summer all I did was wrestle. I spent all day every day in the Reed high school cafeteria with the tables moved and the mats laid out. I went to Raider club practices lead by Coach Dan Barraza; after that practice we would head to weight training lead by coach Chris Gorden, then finish the day off with Khutulun lead by Coach Mike Klapp and Assistant Coach Madi Funk. I did all that with my practice partner Maria. The days that I used to spend by myself slowly turned into me never going a day without seeing the mat and my teammates that filled it. My life was turning around for the better and I had never been happier.
That same summer I went to my first big tournament called Western States. I had a pretty good tournament with an amazing win that we still talk about to this day, lol. Fast forward to my freshman year of high school. I wasn’t the most thrilled about wrestling season. I think at the time I was a little burnt out. I went through the season with my love for the sport slowly growing back. Over the short couple of months I got better after every match. I went onto Vegas with my team for State and left with a 1st Place medal around my neck. I was, and still am, truly blessed to have received the opportunity and blessings of that trip. I’ll never forget that bus ride down, the way my stomach hurt so bad from all the laughs, and how my heart pounded faster while my teammates wrestled. Over the last couple years I have been a little off and on with wrestling but in my heart, I know I’ll always run back to the sport that saved my life.
Thank you to everyone who has supported me throughout this crazy journey of mine. I would like to give a special thanks to the following people: · My mom, who would give me the sun if I asked for it. · My family, for supporting me and putting up with me lol. · My friends, for sticking with me and my journey. · The Moe’s, for the endless love and support. · Church family, for the prayers that take me through every match safely. · Maria Aiono, for being the girl that shortly turned into my sister and picking my head up every time it fell. · Maya Fiodorova, for keeping me on my toes and always giving me a good laugh. · Meredith Nash, for always keeping it reel with me and helping me find good in the bad on hard days. · My partners & teammates, for making me better & holding me accountable. · Coach Madi Funk & Coach Mike Klapp, for spending almost every day of their year with me and making me a better person. · Every coach that ever got on the mat with me and shared their wisdom.
No matter what happens in a match or ever, I’ll always be thankful to Jesus Christ for the things I get to do. I pray that God’s Holy Spirit shines through me on and off the mat. And, I pray that I inspire people by the way I wrestle and the way I hold myself. I can’t wait for everyone to see how far I go. #LLJM