| My name is Nikolas “Niko” Slatoff. I am from Henderson, NV and I am a 2nd-year Student Athlete studying Finance and Accounting at Baker University in Baldwin City, KS. Here is my wrestling story. |
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| It all started when I was five. My dad told me one day that I was going to wrestle. I don’t remember the first practice, but I remember the first match. It was frightening as I cried the whole time, even though I ended up winning. The first two years of wrestling were tough, as every match I lost I cried, and I lost a lot. In the following years I wrestled with Liberty’s youth program. I started to slowly gain more confidence and experience. I eventually changed clubs and started to wrestle with Team Green Valley (GV). The practices were so hard, and I remember being nervous to go each week. There was a lot of tough competition and we all pushed each other and ourselves. |
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| I also played soccer and some flag football. It was a lot easier for me and didn’t challenge me mentally and physically like wrestling did. I kept pushing myself and began to love the sport of wrestling more and more. In middle school, Team GV changed to NV Select and then to Slam, but the team and coaches were the same. During this period, I became closer with my teammates and started to feel like they were my second family. However, at the end of seventh grade, I experienced a stress fracture in my back. The doctor told me I would need to be in a back brace for about eighteen weeks. For the first six weeks I had to have the brace on for 23 hours a day. The hardest part of that time was not being able to compete and train with my friends and only be able to watch them from the stands. |
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| As time went on and while in physical therapy, I became distant with the sport of wrestling. I started to get more involved with soccer, playing with multiple club teams and also joining the high school Soccer Team at Green Valley High School. I wanted to stay active and get back in shape, hoping to be able to return to wrestling in high school. After the high school soccer season was over, I decided I didn’t want to continue playing soccer as I had really missed wrestling, and I was ready to commit all of my energy back into wrestling because I wanted to be a State Champ at Green Valley High School like so many of my teammates had done! It was at that time, I had another set back. |
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| During the second wrestling Intramurals practice of my Freshmen year, I was wrestling with my longtime teammate and friend Bubba, when all of sudden I heard a loud pop and felt an intense pain in my hip. I had been away from the sport for a year and a half only to come back and tear three muscles in my hip. Another season was over for me, and it was such a defeating feeling. Luckily, thanks to physical therapy and the support from my family and peers, I was able to come back a couple months later. I had thought that I may not ever be able to wrestle again, but I never gave up hope and worked hard to return and to keep positive. In those high school practices when I returned, I would continue to get my butt kicked by David K and Bubba, but I was just grateful to be able to wrestle again. |
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| During the summer of my Freshman year, I started training with a new wrestling club–Aniciete Training Club (ATC), run by Nap and Alex Aniciete along with Coach Ant and Coach Val. Wanting to improve more in the sport, I was intrigued and eager to join. Since I knew all of the other wrestlers training with them, from our years in the youth programs (Ant, Tyler Grady, Samson, Mateo, Nick) I was comfortable with the club and coaches. Since the club was just starting, the practices were taking place in the coaches garage. |
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| The garage practices were some of the most intense training sessions, where I learned that there is always room for improvement. It gave me a familiar feeling as when I first joined team GV in youth. It again fueled my passion and love for the sport, and I wanted to work on being the best I could be more than ever before. Sophomore year I came up short at State, but our team won as a whole. Even though I didn’t get the end result that I wanted, I was happy to get more mat time and learn from my mistakes. |
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| Shortly after the State meet, the pandemic started and COVID spread everywhere, closing down school and the upcoming wrestling season. This didn’t stop ATC from competing, as our team traveled to wherever we could for more competition. I was able to continue to practice and compete in states near and far. |
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| After Junior year, I was hoping to win a State Ttitle for my Final year of high school. It was something I had never done before. Getting prepared for Super 32 qualifiers I started to feel an uncomfortable feeling in my back. It progressively got worse to where I couldn’t bend over without having sharp pain run down the right side of my leg. Turns out I had a herniated disc in my spine. The trainers and doctors would later say that my season was over and told me to move on the from the sport of wrestling. I wasn’t going to give up that easy. |
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| Fortunately, I got two injections in my spine to alleviate the pain in my disc. I was filled with energy that I could compete again. Even though it was towards the end of the wrestling season, I managed to wrestle up a weight class and wrestle in the last dual meet of the season and qualify for State. I practiced hard and was finally able to win a State Title. There was so much relief from the pressure of trying to become a State Champion. I had finally achieved my goal! |
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Without the support from my family, coaches, and teammates, I wouldn’t be in the position where I am today. Now, I am a Sophomore at Baker University alongside my ATC teammate Saoul Prado. So far, it has been an amazing journey, and I look forward to continuing the grind. Wrestling has taught me perseverance, mental toughness, to keep a good attitude even when things aren’t going my way, and to never give up on my dreams. It prepares me for the roller coaster of life! I am forever thankful for all of the experiences and opportunities I have been given in this tough sport!! |
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