April 13, 2025 • 49 mins
“Grit, Glory & Growth: The Ashton Boswell Story”
In this episode, we step onto the mat and into the mind of Ashton Boswell—2025 215lb Tennessee State Champion, high school senior, standout wrestler, and a young man who’s redefining what it means to lead with discipline and heart.
Ashton shares how wrestling shaped his character, the lessons he’s learned from both wins and losses, and how he stays locked in on his goals, even when the pressure hits hard. When asked who he looks up to most, Ashton didn’t name a coach or celebrity—he said, “Myself, in ten years.” That one line speaks volumes about his mindset and the vision he’s chasing.
This episode is about more than just sports—it’s about self-belief, growth through adversity, and becoming the kind of person your younger self would be proud of. Whether you’re an athlete, a student, or simply in your own season of becoming, Ashton’s story will leave you inspired to keep showing up and putting in the work.
Tap into the Students of Life Podcast and hear what it really takes to build greatness—one match, one moment at a time.
In this episode, we step onto the mat and into the mind of Ashton Boswell—2025 215lb Tennessee State Champion, high school senior, standout wrestler, and a young man who’s redefining what it means to lead with discipline and heart.
Ashton shares how wrestling shaped his character, the lessons he’s learned from both wins and losses, and how he stays locked in on his goals, even when the pressure hits hard. When asked who he looks up to most, Ashton didn’t name a coach or celebrity—he said, “Myself, in ten years.” That one line speaks volumes about his mindset and the vision he’s chasing.
This episode is about more than just sports—it’s about self-belief, growth through adversity, and becoming the kind of person your younger self would be proud of. Whether you’re an athlete, a student, or simply in your own season of becoming, Ashton’s story will leave you inspired to keep showing up and putting in the work.
Tap into the Students of Life Podcast and hear what it really takes to build greatness—one match, one moment at a time.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
Hey, y'all, this is Erica with Students of Life podcast.
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(00:58):
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Speaker 2 (01:15):
Welcome to the Student's Life podcast, and with me is
my wife Erica. Hi, and today we have a special guest,
and I'm going to do my best and give him
the best introduction I can before we get to it,
because this is a special young man.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
So I just want you guys to know you don't
become great by accident. It takes guts to walk into
the fire and even more to keep coming back. For
the moment he stepped into the mat as a freshman,
starter Ashing has made this very clear. He's here to
continue now standing at the top of the two hundred
and fifteen pound division as a Tennessee state champion, He's
proven that the pressure doesn't.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Break him, but it builds it.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Dominant force and freestyle and greg go and blood around bout,
a little far Go, and a consistent presence in the
elite national events like Junior Nationals and the Grapple of
Fall Classic. Ashton does not congest compete, but he commends attention.
But what makes Ashton different isn't just the metals. It's
the mindset, the pressure, the process, and the purpose behind
(02:19):
it all. This isn't just a story about wrestling. It's
about grit. It's about growth. It's about the fight to
become something more than just a name on the bracket.
Welcome to Ashon's journey, you guys, get into it. How
you doing, Ashton?
Speaker 4 (02:34):
It's good.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Well, we appreciate you for coming. We appreciate you for coming.
And also, you know, we got a small crowd his
father this year, say hey, father, what's going on?
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Y'all doing all right?
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (02:47):
So how's everything going in your world? It's gone, it's
going great. You know, schools about the end and a
few getting ready for college. You know, it's going good.
Everything's flowing right now. So having a good time, well,
that is phenomenal. So you got any plans? What about college?
(03:10):
That's the thing looking for you. So I did have
to uh come up with a decision for college. I
ended up choosing Morgan State University to college in Baltimore, Maryland.
H Yeah, it's a coach by Key Monday's first Black
(03:33):
Olympic champ. Okay, so I haven't got a chance to
meet him yet, but I look forward to it.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
So that's what we're going to do is let's get
into this thing. I want to ask you this question
right here, and this is about your influences and support systems. Okay,
who are your coaches, your teammates, family members, and everybody
who played a role in you getting where you became.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
This is this is a really long one. So it's
it's like various schools. I can start with the three
sceners my freshman year, uh, Tim, Alex, and Jalen. The
various styles that they had mixed and it was kind
of like a melting pot for me. Alex was more,
(04:18):
he was tall, more around my weight. He was more
stocky built and like strong. Tim was more methodical. He
was patient, he taught me patients.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Jalen was more funky and he could do a lot
of weird stuff and he was good. And so just
that melting pot. Uh, it helped like a perfect stepping
stone for my my freshman.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So with that being said, you know, with those gentlemen,
is there any part of it or one of those
individuals that you gravitated, you know, style gravitated that you
gravitated towards the most and like, like you were saying methodical,
did you pick up being more methodical or did you
pick up other attributes?
Speaker 4 (05:00):
So I'd say I kind of I kind of took
a little bit from all of them. So Tim, I'm
not really like a patient wrestler. I want to get
there and I want to attack. Most of the time
I attack, and like I get a takedown in the
first ten seconds, so I'm always looking to attack. So
that didn't really fit his style. But I'm also like
brute stands. I like to snap people down, do go
(05:22):
behind like Alex, but can also do like funky stuff
like Jalen. So I think it was I gravitated. I
don't think I gravitated to one specific person. It was
just like all of them helped me.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Okay, what is good?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
So what about you know other people outside of the
matter of fact before we go get just the mad
what about the coaches and how to hell?
Speaker 3 (05:44):
And how did you know help you out along the way.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
So I've been coached by a lot of coaches. My
my high school coach, coach Cooper, who was Who's who
started me? Great coach, very good with the with the beginning,
I mean, and the like the basics, and then I trained.
I went to Arlington coach Simpson, coach Slaughter, coach coach Slaw,
(06:10):
all the great coaches that they critique you even when
you're at your best. I was even when I was
going I was people I wouldn't like where I'm at now,
but I was good and people knew I was good.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
And if you if you started out how you are now,
then I mean damn So.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
So Arlington's whole coaching staff is great. I really appreciate them.
Houston too, that they're like family and Christian Brothers is
the last school high school team I've I'm attending practice with.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
What about family, you know, no, Monster's journey.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
I mean my dad, my parents, I mean that is
kind of an understatement to say how much they helped
me get me the trips, pay for stuff. I mean,
I don't have a job.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
So do have a question. Did your father roussele you
a whole lot in this process?
Speaker 4 (07:01):
We we've like I wouldn't say I know him.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Because he's torturing. Yah. You know, he's a guy.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
So we've been like breakdown stuff. But I wouldn't really say,
like wrestling wrestling just because like injuries and stuff. You know,
don't want to like get him hurt or anything.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I know what, I like that he definitely had hurt
you Dad. I think he will.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
I know he will tell you definitely try to sit
him on med guy with.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
I'm not a three hundred.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Pounds so I know, well, let's say a hell of
a thing right there, you know, just to have the
support system, because you know, one thing for sure is
asking is that you know, we're only as great as
the people that's around us sometimes, and if you have
that great support with his family, you know, the people
on the mat, those people really help make us better.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
You know, me and your father, Erica, you know.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
As old as I said, as old as we are,
we're older, but you know, we have to surround ourselves
with good people.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
That's what makes us great.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
But like, while you're on the mat, you know what
was like your turning point, you know, you know your
turning point, Like you know that that moment that that
made you good, you know that that shifted everything.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
So I'd say I've had two turning points in my
career right now. The first one was when I went
to Atlanta to wrestle at the Super thirty two qualifier.
The actual Super thirty to tournament is the hardest high
school folks style tournament in the country. But I went
up there and there was this Alabama state champ that
(08:36):
wrecked me. Like I'd never been TechEd in the folks
style match ever. You got to be up by like
fifteen points was senior, I was a sophomore. I was
a sophomore going it was the summer going to junior year,
and I got wrecked. I got tecked, and he put
a pace on me that I hadn't experienced that, and
I like, I didn't know how to feel about myself
because that never happened to me like that, Like I've
(08:57):
been beaten, but not like that, Like that was dominance.
That wasn't like he just won that match and I
just felt really bad. I ended up wrestling back two matches,
won and then lost in the blood rounds. But yeah,
after that, I knew that I wanted to change the
pace of my wrestling and that was a big, big
turning point in my career. And now I'm kind of
(09:20):
like known for my pace.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
So you know, like in some of these sports, especially
like like like wrestling or even like I'm gonna use
this as an example. It was a fight with like
Frank Trid and Robbie Lawler. It was like in Hawaii
or something. But after the fight that, you know, because
Frank Trigg lost pretty bad, he lost pretty rough, you know,
and he had to get like what they call a
sports psychologist to help him recover because he couldn't see
(09:44):
the right hand coming no more, but without without flinching up.
So when we lose big or when we lose bad,
you know, we have some type of mental block that
you have one for a minute, and if you did,
how did.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
You recover from?
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Actually think I had a mental block and the way
I were and it was really my coaches and my
training because I trusted in my training and my coaches,
and I can't do anything but keep wrestling and keep
going to practice, so there's no need to complain and
think about this thing that happened in the past, and
now all I have to do is just keep going forward.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
Right.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
So yeah, that's that's how I got over there, and
I just kept training, just kept training.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
What was the timeframe that you all like it took
up month? Two months?
Speaker 4 (10:28):
No, it never really like I mean, now it's kind
of like set in a little bit, but it's all
It always felt like I was in the journey, like
I haven't reached my destination yet.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Okay, well, so what was the second one you said you.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
Had to The second one was when I started going
to Christian Brothers. And that's when I I've always traveled
out of like now, I've been in Nashville a couple
of times, but I went to when I started going
to Christian Brothers, I started traveling out the state. So
I've been to like Michigan, all these other places in
North Dakota, and there's a new level of wrestling, and
(11:01):
so it was a big turning point because I got
to experience something new and and so because of that,
I'm you know, I'm grateful and it helped me because
now it made Tennessee easier, right, So it was just
like it was. It was great.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
So, speaking of mindset and growth, how did you mentally
push through the tough times you deal with self doubt?
And if you did, how did you ever come in?
Speaker 4 (11:26):
So this year was probably my worst year with self
doubt because me and my dad and most of the
people that I'm close with have this thought because I
was winning all these and placing at these national tournaments
that I was just gonna like flow through and go
through Tennessee State and undefeated and all that and win state.
But it was hard like trying to like win matches
(11:50):
and before the matches being nervous because everybody's expecting me
to win and nobody's expecting me to lose. So I'm like,
I got to keep this like I can't lose. If
I lose, everybody's gonna be like I'm not good or whatever.
But I had to stop thinking about the outcome of
the match and what other people were thinking and start
(12:12):
wrestling my match. And then after a while, I just
like I wasn't getting nervous, I was getting ready, and
I was ready to wrestle instead of thinking about the
outcome and just ready to get to my attacks and
get to my pace and set the tone of the match.
And I think that that changed. It not changed, but
(12:34):
it Yeah, it helped me. It helped me get over
this year because this year it was bad. I end
up the end of the season thirty and two and
losing to the same dude twice in a row. It's
a really good record, though, yeah it is. But I
was expecting to go undefeated, but I ended up losing
to him, and like even my dad like he was
(12:55):
on me. He was like, is there something wrong? And
I was like, I just lost, and like for a
little bit it did like not making words, but that
was like, oh dude, I really lost and I wasn't
expecting to.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
So Safan's is like, you know, like like that feeling,
you know, was that was self doubt? So how did
you overcome the self doubt?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Yeah, So I just I just kept training my coaches
like they believed in me. Like he came up to
me after I lost before Regionals, he said he worked
too hard in the room to lose to somebody like that,
not not belittling him or anything. But you work too
hard and the partners the room, you do too much
to forward to end like that and for you to
(13:39):
lose to somebody like that. And and I was like,
I was like, you're right. So what I do? I
just decided to train harder and even harder and pick
my partners, pick better partner better people. I trained with
college guys in the room that that come to the
Christian Brother's room. I try to train with the best
person in the room and the best person for me.
And I found that that has helped with my success
(14:00):
and it self, doubt went out the window and I
got gained confidence.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
So I want to ask this because I'm wondering. I've
been wondering for a while. I've never asked. But this,
you know, it still goes into mindset and growth. But
this is more so about the mindset on the mat.
And I'll give you an example. This is a picture
perfect example, but slay for instance, when I was doing
jiujitsu at one point, okay, we had a mindset on
(14:26):
the on the mat of how to approach some of
these situations. So I look at this guy, I might say,
you know what he.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
He has weaknesses.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Like in basketball, Alan Iverson used to love to drive
to the right and he never drove to the left right,
but he was really good at going to the right
and no one can stop it. But on that mat,
I was like, you know what, they're good and that
guy ain't good to the right. So you know, when
I take him down, I need to take him down
to his left, I mean, to his right side. Need
to do that end up maybe in entire control. If
(14:56):
it goes right, then I go into mount maybe and
I know that that's what I want to do, because
really what I want to do is try to get
him in a triangle at that point.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
You know what, I can get.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
The triangle from the mount, but he'll see it coming
and I know that, and so instead I transition to
the ar bar. And if the arm bar, it's only
a couple of ways he can get out. Either he
give me the arm and he rolled out, or either
two he roll into me. But hey, this dude's grip
is really good. So I open up my left leg
just a tad bit so he can roll into me.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Damn lock it in.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
So it's like a chain of events of how things
happen when you're on the mad. Do you have a
chain of events of how things play out or is
it all just.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Reflex I'd say it's a little bit of both in
different moments. Like some moments, most of the time it's
muscle memory. Just how you train is how you'll get
out of that situation. But I definitely like can relate
to how you're explaining that jiu jitsu situation, and that's
exactly how it is. While I'm wrestling. There's only a
few options that he can do from this position, and
(16:02):
I know these options. I know the counter of these options.
So he give if he does this and I do this,
and it's it's a big chess game. It's it's a
it's a really big chess game. And I had to understand,
like mentally how to how to like think but still
be like because you know, you're not supposed to like
think and like active and all this. But it's a
(16:25):
it's a certain level of thinking that you have to
do and a certain level of iq that you have
to have to be able to chain rustle like that.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
So how long did it take before you learn how
to chain the rustle like that? You know?
Speaker 4 (16:36):
Mentally, I'd probably say, eleventh grade year going twelfth grade
a year because I just had to understand wrestling. I
still don't understand it fully, but I understand the basics
and I can go into any room and understand and practice.
So I mean, yeah, it's definitely.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
So for you to get there.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
What you ended up doing was really was a training
process and discipline.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Yeah, okay, well that's a that's a hell of a thing.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
But you know, just like anything, you know, it definitely takes,
you know, some type of training. And what did your
training process look like overall, you know, to get where
you are today because from because you've been doing it
for four years, from ninth grade to twelfth grade consistently
too right, So I want you to take us through
this process from ninth grade to twelfth grade, your training
(17:29):
and how did it change.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
So ninth grade year, I was I just practice and
then homework a home this during the school year. So
practice wasn't too crazy. I wasn't like doing any really
like extra workouts or anything. Ninth grade year was pretty normal.
I was like a normal wrestler. I didn't really want
it that bad. Tenth grade year is when I started
(17:52):
going to a lot of camps at Arlington. It was
like sixth to nine hour camps and I'm just like
learning and it's a lot of information being thrown at me.
Uh So I'm just I'm I'm learning, so I'm not
really I'm practicing too, but it's just practicing camps. Eleventh
grade year is when I start doing privates. I was
(18:12):
doing privates with a two time state champion from Christian Brothers,
Drake Bowers. I was doing privates with him coaches, getting
extra workouts in practicing, harder, practicing after practice, just wanted
it more. And then twelfth grade year, I kind of
kept doing the same thing. I started lifting a little
(18:35):
bit more because I really don't lift.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
What's wrong with lifting?
Speaker 4 (18:39):
I really just don't. I don't really like it. I'm
not gonna say I don't like it. I just don't
see the excitement in it, like let's go to the
gym and pump iron. I get that excitement from wrestling,
but lifting weights seems more like a like a to
do than like a let's go do it. Like I
wouldn't do it as a hobby, but of course I
have to do it college.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Of course, Oh you're gonna have to do a big
time you know, like some of the you know, I'm
pretty sure you heard of, like guys like Jordan Burrow.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
That guy he's a monster. Yeah, she had a main double. Abe.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Those dudes are like a freak. What is he like?
A six time champion, he's he's one nas these one
world he's one Olympics.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
He's he's yeah, he's he's phenomenal. What have you? What
was his name?
Speaker 2 (19:29):
What's his name? Anthony? That was him, you know, the
one lay He was a one lager wrestler.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
Oh yeah, from he wrestled the Arizona stage.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
That was a hell of a I remember watching him
on ESPN. But he just recently, you know, they got
a movie out on Prime.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Yeah. I've actually I've met that dude, the dude that
he was wrestling in the finals from Iowa. Yeah, I've
met that dude. He he's come and ran a camp
at a Christian Brothers Ny Julius. Yeah, yeah, really cool dude, electric.
He's a fun dude to be around. It's pretty coold.
I haven't got a chance to meet of course. Uh Jordan, Yeah,
(20:14):
Jordan Burrows, Yeah, Yeah, he's a he's a monster. I
just had to bring him up. But that was that
was a hell of a thing. So what about you know,
like far as No, just put it like this. When
you're out there on that mat, you know you got
these people out here looking it's a lot of pressure. Yeah,
it's a lot of pressure. How do you manage that?
Speaker 3 (20:37):
You know?
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Because save instance, I did a question, The question would
be this right here, when you first went out there
on that mat, how did you feel? Was it a
certain amount of nerves that you that you dealt with?
Speaker 4 (20:48):
Yeah, I got like nerves in my head, my stomach.
And then it's like you go checking to the table
and on the way to the middle of the match,
you're looking around, see how the people looking at you,
the coach is looking. You're probably like walking back to
the middle of the mat with the wrestler beside you,
and it's like a it's a crazy feeling that kind
(21:09):
of never goes away. But you just kind of deal
with it and find ways to deal with it, because
if you don't get nervous before it match, something's wrong.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
And what point did you begin to like block it out?
Speaker 2 (21:23):
No, Because I mean, look, I've dealt with it a
few times and it can be overwhelming the feeling can
be overwhelming, knowing that people looking at you, you know,
knowing you need to perform, but it's difficult. Yeah, So
at what point did did you get comfortable with them?
Speaker 4 (21:38):
I'd say I'm getting more comfortable the bigger stage that
I wrestle, and then when I wrestle down so like
a like a level. So like when I went to
North Dakota, I wrestled at this big arena and the
stadium was massive. But then when I go back to
Rustle at a local tournament, it's easier. So I'd say
(22:01):
just experience. So like experience and other things, it just
makes it. It makes the smaller things easier, right, So
I mean even like when I experienced something new, I
don't know how to handle. I mean I don't know
how to deal with it at the moment. Maybe like after,
but at the moment, Like when I went to Fargo
Russell my first match, I was so nervous. In the
(22:23):
stadium's like massive, It's like a football stadium for wrestling.
It was like twenty thirty match or something like that.
It was crazier.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
So what was your biggest match I that you can remember?
Speaker 4 (22:40):
So when you say biggest match. Do you mean like
the biggest match that meant something to me, or like
in general.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
This in general, like far as impact, like the you know,
the largest match, amount of people all that.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
I probably have to say my my state finals match.
Okay about that one, So this my state in general
or my finals stayed in general up to the finals,
so stayed in general. Me and my dad. The brackets
come out the week of before the tournament, so we're
(23:15):
looking at the bracket. I was the two seed, and
I just I'm looking at all these potentials that could
happen or with me who I'm wrestling. And the first
dude I beat him before I TechEd him in the
first period, so it was like it was like, okay,
been there, done that tech the first dude last year,
(23:37):
second dude, I pinned him in a minute. So that
was that was That was pretty That was the quarterfinals. Yeah,
that was the quarterfinals. And then my dad was talking
about the dude. He had never seen him wrestle, so
it was like once I beat him, I looked over
there my dad. It was like I kind of gave
him a little stand down like this d was talking
(23:57):
about it because I like to scout you know what
I mean.
Speaker 5 (24:03):
I like to just look at their their videos and
just like, Okay, this is what this kid likes to do.
And I know my son has the biggest tool bag
I've seen in person.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
I mean, he has a lot of moves. So I scalped.
Speaker 5 (24:21):
And that one kid he had to go against in
the quarters, I couldn't find nothing on him, and I'm like,
and last year he wrestled at one seventy five, they
had two fifteen, So I was like, I didn't know,
go ahead, I'm.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
Sorry, but yeah, I ended up pinning this dude and
like I looked over there and yeah, he was like
predicted to win. People predicted him to win, stayed he
didn't even place.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
Oh wow.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
And then my semifinal max this is where I lost
last year. I lost six to three in the semifinals.
So I had this match against this dude. He's beat
I've beaten people he's lost to pretty bad. But it's wrestling,
so you could lose. I could lose to him still,
So the match starts. I was I was kind of nervous,
(25:08):
like I was explaining before, because I'd lost it previously
last year. So the match started, I got to my attacks.
I took him down in like, uh, the first thirty seconds,
and so I felt good about that. He got up
and I took him down again after that. It's just
like how you were talking about people with strong grip strength.
(25:30):
So it's kind of known like people from Franklin that
the high school is from. They're really scrambling, so they're
hard to score on. So my coach comes up to
me and reminds me that before the match, and it's
kind of like in my head. So that third shot
that I take it, he stuffs it and we're scrambling.
So scrambling takes a lot of energy out of you.
So we continue doing this and I'm continually pressuring in
(25:54):
and getting to my getting to my tax, but he's
keeps scrambling. So I end up getting tired and we
went into overtime. I had two star calls in like
the last twenty seconds. It was whatever, we end up
going to overtime seven to seven, so if we have
a minute to get a takedown, or we're going to
like triple overtime or something like that. So I ended
(26:16):
up getting to take down in like the first what
like ten seconds, won the match, and his people weren't
happy about it, but it was kind of a relief,
Like I never expected to lose to that dude. It
wasn't like in my head that I was going to
lose to him, but it was just I was I
was a little nervous. I can admit I was a
little nervous. Yeah, yeah, I did.
Speaker 3 (26:38):
Which match was it? Was it the first match?
Speaker 4 (26:40):
This is my semi final match.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
Semifinal match.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Okay, So going into the final match, Going into the
final match, were you kind of tired because you know,
going in overtime, you know, yeh, those things, you know,
the longer it goes on, the more it takes that
energy out of the Yeah. So were you going into
the to the final match a little exhausted.
Speaker 4 (26:58):
No. The way they set the tournament, they do it
in a two day tournament. So we wrestled all the
way to the semi finals that first day, and then
we wrestled the consolations and then the finals that that
next day. So I got a good night's sleep. I
was definitely still sore, like my forearms, my legs, my
ankle was pretty sore. I had to get that tape
(27:20):
the next day.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
Actually, Okay, So tell us about the final match, how
it didn't go, so we want to hear about.
Speaker 4 (27:26):
The finals was crazy. They walk everybody down there at
this because it's like a rodeo, So they walk us
down and then we do like this ceremony where he's
on the other end of the mat and I'm on
the other end, and we walked down. Then they call
our name, put like pictures up there, so we do
that national anthem, and then they rustle like three weight
(27:47):
classes before me. So I'm getting ready to wrestle and
I'm not really nervous. I was nervous in my semifinals,
but I wasn't nervous. My dad was nervous, and he
talks about this all the time. I'm walking back and
forth and he's looking looking for me, and he looks
at me and I wink at him and he's like
he's like, uh, he said, what are you turning? My coach,
(28:08):
and he's like he gonna, he gonna, he gonna get this.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
And I was, And I was gonna ask you about it,
but told me, but I had to hear.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
It from you. I didn't have to ask.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
So yeah, so I was I was ready, like I
told you, I was order to rumble. I was order brawl,
and we got up there. His teammate one state at
one ninety before him. His teammate just threw his coach
celebration all that, and then I see his coach like
whisper something to him, and in my head in that moment,
(28:45):
I'm like, they're either game planning for me or he's
given him like words of encouragement or both. So I'm like,
he couldn't like, like you said no about me, So
I'm like, I'm a little like on the on the fence.
So I ended up taking him down in like fifteen seconds.
I took him down three or four times in the
(29:06):
first period. This is the most dominant match yet. Everybody
else match had went like scoreless into the third period.
But I rustled the most dominant match in the tournament yet.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
That's a hell of a hell of a performance.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
I mean because even at that level of wrestling, those
like you were just saying, you know, sometimes you don't
get those take downs.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Sometimes they go scoreless.
Speaker 4 (29:26):
Yeah, but to.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
Get that minute take downs, I mean, did you feel
like you were in his.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Own I definitely was, or was safe instance, is this
not to talk down about your competition.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Did you feel like he was listening you or you
was just there a good moment?
Speaker 4 (29:42):
Okay, I think it was a little bit of both.
So he is a sophomore. He placed last year, but
I just didn't I feel like it just wasn't his time.
He Not like belittling him or anything, but I just
feel like he is two more years. He didn't want
(30:03):
it bad enough, and you could tell just by like
the match. Slowly, but surely he like started going downhill
and like started like giving up, and I felt that.
But the stakes are higher when you're a senior. This
is your last high school tournament. So I mean I
wanted it bad. I wanted it more than him.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
So I do have something a question kind of I
want to ask because when I looked at your weight class,
I'm like, he's two fifteen, I'm like, damn, two fifteen one.
I'm like, fascinate that big. I'm like, he can't be whinning.
He gained his weight. Then I asked, like, no, he
went in at one ninety five. So this is the
(30:46):
first part of the question. How did that happen? How
did you end up you know, transitioning and going up right?
I mean because you were still small compared to what
everybody else would normally. Wait, yeah, I tell him your
out that.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
So I mean, like since my first meeting, I was
always behind, Like I wrestled one. I wrestled one ninety five,
so I've always wrestled up a weight class. I was
wrestling like weighing like one. So I just like kept
gaining like muscle. And then so I wrestled one ninety
last year, and I was cutting wait for just a
(31:21):
little bit, but then over the summer I kind of
like let myself out of one ninety a little bit.
I still wrestled a little bit, but I started lifting
more and eating more, and so I started gaining more muscle,
and you know, muscle weighs more than fat. So I
started gaining like more weight than I see. And I
was like, like, I was supposed to go one ninety
(31:42):
for state, but dissin playing all that stuff messed up.
But I'm glad I ended up, not because I can
eat now, I didn't have to cut weight.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
That's supposed to the answer.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
So you didn't have to cut weight then I didn't,
so you went in full strength, full strength.
Speaker 4 (31:55):
So last year I lost in the semifinals. I had
to cut weight the rest of that next day. I
cut WAIT three times in like the span of a
couple of hours. I had to cut wait that night,
that morning, and when I got to the stadium, you
were depleted, Then I was depleted. My lips were purple cracked, bleeding.
I don't even think I was able to sweat. It was.
It was hard. It was that was definitely.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
You couldn't perform then I couldn't. Yeah, So I would say,
you know, this is just my assesstment. I'm looking at it.
You went in and it advantage compared to everybody else
because I'm pretty sure some of those guys.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
Had to cut weight.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Yeah, you went in at full strength because you didn't
have to do that right.
Speaker 4 (32:32):
And that strategy. I mean a lot of people do that.
A lot of people play like weight bully and cut
weight to know be bigger than other people. But I
just felt like I was faster, more healthy, And you know,
your conditioning is good when when you're full and not tired,
that is true, and not like depleted. So I mean
my conditioning was great. Besides that, that semi final match
(32:54):
to the nerves kind of got to me. But besides that,
I was I felt great even that second day, a
little sore, but you know, definitely not cutting wait played
a big part in it, because cutting wait it's awful.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
Yeah, I mean, of course you know how it is.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
I mean, not only do you do it, but I'm
pretty sure before you became a wrestler or as you
became one, boxers do it.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
They do it, you know Nick's martial artists.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
They do it and then and that couldn't wait drains
them tremendously and then has a large effect.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
On their performance. You know, so you saw it first hand.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
No, so the question would be, like, with that scenario
or there was that your worst weight cut?
Speaker 4 (33:36):
That's the worst I felt with the weight cut. It's
not the most weight I've cut. I cut for like
freestyling Girco State. I cut like twenty two in a week.
I was two. I can't remember. I think, like my
math is off, but I think I was like two
oh five or something, and then that Monday, by Friday,
I was one eighty eight. So it was a pretty
(33:57):
big cut. But I didn't feel like awful. I was drained,
didn't deplete it, of course, but I didn't feel like
that that was the worst I've ever felt from cutting weight,
and it was awful. I mean, I'm going ninety seven
in college, so it's a little it's a lower than
two fifteen, but it's more like that's my perfect weight,
I'd say it. I was kind of upset when they
took They took it from ninety to from ninety five
(34:20):
to ninety and it kind of made the weight cut
a little harder. That's when I made the choice to
go to fifteen.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
Awesome, I'm glad I did so.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
Out of all of this, right, out of all the
four years you've wrestled so far, what would you say
wrestling has taught you the most about life and resilience.
Speaker 4 (34:38):
I'd say hard work can achieve dreams, because it's one
thing to be able to say that, Like everybody, that's
a thing, like if you work hard, you'll achieve your dreams,
but it's one thing to actually do it and experience it.
You work four years for a goal and you finally
get it. It's like it's a surreal feeling that doesn't
even feel real, and it's just like I don't know
(35:01):
how to explain it. It's a surreal feeling and I
just if you.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Can't explain it, then how do you feel or how
did you feel when you went State?
Speaker 4 (35:12):
Like I did it? Like I know that's kind of
like vague, but like I did it, Like I worked.
I put in hours in the restroom, countless practicing coaches,
all this just for this one six minutes, and I
put everything online in one It felt like it was
(35:34):
almost like weight off my shoulders. This is real. I
was actually having trouble sleeping, like this whole postseason. I
couldn't sleep. I was waking up sweating. I had to
like wash my ses, dry my sheet because I was
sweating so much, and I didn't know why. It was
just anxiety. But after I won State, I could sleep.
I can sleep now. So it was just like weight
(35:57):
off my back because everybody was like over me, like
you're gonna win State this year. I'm like, yeah, that's
the plan. I'm like it's a lot of pressure. And
then finally when I won, I'm like I can breathe.
Like I did, I wont State. Everybody I was expected
to win stay that I did it.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
So it was like a relief, you know, you know
with you saying that, say, for instance, because I know
your mother, I know your father. They put in a
lot of work themselves, and and I will attribute that hard.
You know, that work ethic that you have based on
you're seeing them, because if you never saw them work
(36:36):
as hard as they do, sometimes it'd be hard for
you to understand or see the effort that you have
to put in to actually be great. You know they
put in work. They tired as hell they are, but
that's part of it. If you want to be great,
there's no stopping at that. So with this one right here,
we definitely command mom and daddy well being a good
(36:57):
example of saying, you know what, this is what you
need to be, and this is how you need to
go about doing it. Because if there was anything less,
you wouldn't have been, You wouldn't been what you were.
So even if you didn't recognize it in a moment,
it's something that happened. We become what we see. We
don't become what we hear. We become what we see.
You saw them do and put in a lot of work.
(37:19):
So we clam for Mom and Daddy on that one too.
Speaker 4 (37:24):
Appreciate that A lot of drivers a lot of Saturday
morning I'm gonna miss it.
Speaker 5 (37:34):
I really am miss waking up at seven, eight o'clock,
driving him to the venue and going back home in
something to eat, and going back up there like nine
or ten or eleven, and waiting until about six or
seven at night, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (37:52):
We went to iron Man last summer.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
We were there for sixteen hours, you know what I mean,
in the gym, just waiting, and I remember.
Speaker 5 (38:00):
Hating every bill, hating every second of waiting like that,
and I just I would see my son over there
with his friends, his coaches, and in between stuff, he
would come over here and sit with me.
Speaker 4 (38:18):
We'll check.
Speaker 5 (38:19):
People will talk about stuff that's going on, like when
they're not like us dropped. We were in the gym
and at Summit High School and we were talking about
that and.
Speaker 4 (38:29):
Just like.
Speaker 5 (38:31):
He has grown over these last four years being my guy.
Speaker 4 (38:36):
That's he was one of my best friends in my
life and that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (38:45):
Yeah, I'm gonna.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
Miss it, but that's part of being a great parent,
you know, and and you know, and and putting forth
at effort and showing them this is how it was,
this is how it's done. And we don't give up. Yeah,
we don't give up. And I'll say this too. I
tell this story to a multiple people. I think I
know I told you, Daddy. I don't know if you
(39:07):
remember it though, But this dude in the gym, he
was training me for a match, and I was kind
of scared of the guy, you know, he was he
was a monster. And he said, hey, what are we
what are we doing? I'm like, I'm like, oh, I'm
like thirty. He said, what the f is? What is
thirty or forty percent? He said, either were doing this
(39:28):
ship or we ain't, you know? And I carry that
model for the rest, you know, from then on up,
either you're doing it or you're not right. And what
you're doing right now somen is you're doing it.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
I'm proud of you, Thank you. I'm proud of the
f you put in.
Speaker 2 (39:43):
And I love seeing your mother and father you know,
be there with you because you can't be what you
are without.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
Them right now. That is amazing. And congratulations on the father.
Thank you. Good job mama you're not here. Good job
to you too.
Speaker 5 (40:01):
I think you gave bought it for him for like
winning a tournament or birthday.
Speaker 4 (40:07):
Yeah, my bag that did play a big part traveling,
traveling help that bag and a Duffel bag. The only
thing I needed it was it was perfect.
Speaker 2 (40:15):
Well, you know, you know, when you do great things,
they needs to be acknowledged. And you, to me, you
deserve that because a lot of young people don't put
it into work. They don't put it into work to
accomplish way shit, they just don't. But you did that,
and I couldn't have been more proud of you. No,
nowly just as a you know, we'll call you my nephew,
(40:38):
but technically god to.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
So so no, if you deserve that, and whatever else
you get, you deserve that too. As long as you
keep putting in the work, you only get what you
put in, all right, That's how it goes life.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
Yeah, you're speaking of putting in work. What are your
future aspirations? We know you're going to college for wrestling, right,
we know that, and we know you're excited. Do you
plan to stick with wrestling? Do you want to try
something else? And after everything you've been through, would you
consider mentoring other athletes, younger athletes?
Speaker 4 (41:11):
So I definitely, I don't know if I would be good.
I kind of think I'm like a like a Michael
Jordan like he was a better player than he was
a coach. But maybe like along the way because I've
coached matches, kids and stuff like that. But just right now,
I don't really know if I if I do it,
but I do like coaching kids a little just a
little bit after besides wrestling, though, I do want to
(41:36):
become a psychologist. No, not become a psychologist, go to
get a degree in psychology and then either become a
sports psychologist or going to law school. Okay, so yeah,
that's the plan. That's what I want to do. So
and it depends on how my body is after wrestling,
because really I don't want to stop wrestling till like
(41:58):
thirty five. I love it too much. But if my
body doesn't allow it, I probably switch over to jiu
jitsu just to like stay on the mat. It's a
little easier on the body, definitely a lot easier than wrestling.
But I just like I want to be on the map.
But with that, right, there is.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
No special with the you doing jiu jitsu or we'll
just say, like MMA, right, the reason why you got
a you got a hell of a foundation because the
majority of people, even statistically and MMA today are mostly dominated,
and for a long time, the most successful people are
always wrestless.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
Yeah, they were always wrestless, you know.
Speaker 2 (42:39):
So even going into jiu jitsu, that's a really a
good advantage because you determine how things go. You have
a foundation, so you'll probably be successful at it. You'll
definitely be successful at it. And also you was talking
about your you know, like future aspirations and everything, and
this is just me, you know, being me. You know,
(43:00):
I'm always giving advice, you know, and whether you decide
to take it or not. But it's out here, and
it's more so to give you understanding about how things navigate,
how we navigate things, because a lot of what we experience,
what I've seen in this life action is we've done
things backwards, okay, And what I mean by this is
(43:24):
we have this process. Sometimes we choose what we do
and then we want to find ourselves.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
But we've been doing that our whole life.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
I've done it early on, Erica, your mama, your father,
most adults have.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
We've been taught backwards.
Speaker 2 (43:40):
So what this means is that you do your best
at finding out who you are right now today, and
then you align yourself with what you want to do
in your future, whatever the hell it is.
Speaker 3 (43:50):
But definitely make sure you always know who you are because.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
As you progress, you're going to always have to find
out who you are because it changes. You know who
you are today, it may not be who you are.
Well by the time you're twenty five, you ain't gonna
be the same person.
Speaker 1 (44:05):
You'll be completely different.
Speaker 3 (44:06):
You'll be completely different, you.
Speaker 1 (44:07):
See the world completely different.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
Yeah, so this, you know, the process of self discovery
is the ongoing journey. It never ends. But always know
who you are. If you always know who you are,
you always know what you need to do, well, you
have a better chance what you need to do. Let's
put it like that.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
So then that's just the wisdom I want to part
on you.
Speaker 2 (44:27):
Just try to remember that don't work backwards because it
can kind of screw you up a long term.
Speaker 1 (44:37):
So, you know, being that we've had this conversation and
you have a lot of a lot of knowledge, right,
I don't think you realize exactly how much knowledge you have, Right,
what advice would you give the other athletes, maybe not
even just wrastlers, but athletes in general, Like.
Speaker 4 (44:54):
How would you tell them to continue to keep.
Speaker 1 (44:56):
Going even through wins, but more than anything else, with
your losses.
Speaker 4 (45:01):
I'd say, like I have this, I talk about this
with my dad. Like I've never considered a loss a loss.
I've always considered as learn And I know people say
that all the time, but it's real. You assess on
how you lost, on even how you win. You you
can learn from winning, like everybody makes mistakes even when
you do win. So I'd say, just, of course, never
(45:26):
give up, but focus on the small things. The small
things make the big things. And it could be a
matter to your footwork, your sleep schedule, your training schedule,
but the small things. And I had to learn that
people are so stuck on the big picture on why
this stuff is not happening that they look over the
small things. And I think the small things matter. And
(45:47):
I definitely think that that is something that all athletes,
all people should learn and remember and should stick by that.
Speaker 2 (45:56):
Well, ask you that is that is phenomenal. You are
a phenomenal young man, and you have a great mind.
You articulated everything well. And so we're gonna get ready to,
I guess, get ready to bring this.
Speaker 3 (46:12):
To an end.
Speaker 2 (46:12):
And the only thing I want to share with you,
I don't know if Erica has anything to share with you,
but it's this right here.
Speaker 3 (46:19):
Dream and think big all the time.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
It takes as much energy to think small, I mean,
think big as it does to take to us to
think small.
Speaker 3 (46:26):
So think and dream big all the time. And you've
got that, okay.
Speaker 4 (46:31):
You know.
Speaker 1 (46:32):
Piggybacking off of that, don't ever let anybody put you
into a box action, you know what I mean, or
even if you box yourself in, the greatest advice I
can give you is never closed the lid right just
because you're experiencing something right now. It's just a small
moment in time.
Speaker 3 (46:48):
It's not your life.
Speaker 1 (46:50):
You have a whole life to live, and you know
starting out great. If you stay with what you're doing
now and you stick with the mindset you have now
and you grow on it, you're destined for greatness.
Speaker 3 (47:04):
Is there anything that you want to say before we
leave Ashton?
Speaker 4 (47:09):
It's something I want to say and to put into
people's mind. So I see this. I've seen this quote
a bunch. I can't remember the dude's name, but it was.
It was the main character, the dad from Interstellar, and
was when he won the Grammy and when you want
to gramm me. And he gave a speech and it
(47:30):
was talking about who his who is, not his dream,
but his whose hero was, and he said that his
hero at the moment, his hero was himself in ten years.
And later on the same dude came and asked him,
are you a hero now? He said, no, it's myself
(47:50):
in ten years, and he kept going, and the more
he talked, the more I started to understand it more
that it's that constant like strive for greatness that keeps
people like you know, keep people in greatness and keeps
people striving. And so that that's something that's stuck with
me for a while ever since I've seen it that myself,
(48:14):
my hero is is my future self, and my future
self in the future it will be myself ten years later.
And I'm just I'm never perfect, I will never be perfect,
but I will strive for perfectness.
Speaker 3 (48:30):
And that is great, Ashton. And thank you for sharing
it with us.
Speaker 2 (48:33):
Okay, that is beautiful, man, it is, and shit, you've
inspired me. I've never looked at it like that before,
but damn, that is phenomenal. But I appreciate you sharing
that not only with us, but everybody else. Who's going
to hear that? Okay, and so this is it. This
has been a Students of Life podcast. Thanks for listening
(48:53):
to everybody, live and learn.
Speaker 6 (49:14):
Okay, Tic Tay tap a cap technical
Hey, y'all, this is Erica with Students of Life podcast.
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(00:58):
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Speaker 2 (01:15):
Welcome to the Student's Life podcast, and with me is
my wife Erica. Hi, and today we have a special guest,
and I'm going to do my best and give him
the best introduction I can before we get to it,
because this is a special young man.
Speaker 3 (01:33):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (01:34):
So I just want you guys to know you don't
become great by accident. It takes guts to walk into
the fire and even more to keep coming back. For
the moment he stepped into the mat as a freshman,
starter Ashing has made this very clear. He's here to
continue now standing at the top of the two hundred
and fifteen pound division as a Tennessee state champion, He's
proven that the pressure doesn't.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
Break him, but it builds it.
Speaker 2 (01:58):
Dominant force and freestyle and greg go and blood around bout,
a little far Go, and a consistent presence in the
elite national events like Junior Nationals and the Grapple of
Fall Classic. Ashton does not congest compete, but he commends attention.
But what makes Ashton different isn't just the metals. It's
the mindset, the pressure, the process, and the purpose behind
(02:19):
it all. This isn't just a story about wrestling. It's
about grit. It's about growth. It's about the fight to
become something more than just a name on the bracket.
Welcome to Ashon's journey, you guys, get into it. How
you doing, Ashton?
Speaker 4 (02:34):
It's good.
Speaker 2 (02:35):
Well, we appreciate you for coming. We appreciate you for coming.
And also, you know, we got a small crowd his
father this year, say hey, father, what's going on?
Speaker 4 (02:45):
Y'all doing all right?
Speaker 3 (02:46):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (02:47):
So how's everything going in your world? It's gone, it's
going great. You know, schools about the end and a
few getting ready for college. You know, it's going good.
Everything's flowing right now. So having a good time, well,
that is phenomenal. So you got any plans? What about college?
(03:10):
That's the thing looking for you. So I did have
to uh come up with a decision for college. I
ended up choosing Morgan State University to college in Baltimore, Maryland.
H Yeah, it's a coach by Key Monday's first Black
(03:33):
Olympic champ. Okay, so I haven't got a chance to
meet him yet, but I look forward to it.
Speaker 3 (03:39):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (03:40):
So that's what we're going to do is let's get
into this thing. I want to ask you this question
right here, and this is about your influences and support systems. Okay,
who are your coaches, your teammates, family members, and everybody
who played a role in you getting where you became.
Speaker 4 (03:57):
This is this is a really long one. So it's
it's like various schools. I can start with the three
sceners my freshman year, uh, Tim, Alex, and Jalen. The
various styles that they had mixed and it was kind
of like a melting pot for me. Alex was more,
(04:18):
he was tall, more around my weight. He was more
stocky built and like strong. Tim was more methodical. He
was patient, he taught me patients.
Speaker 3 (04:30):
Uh.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
Jalen was more funky and he could do a lot
of weird stuff and he was good. And so just
that melting pot. Uh, it helped like a perfect stepping
stone for my my freshman.
Speaker 2 (04:43):
So with that being said, you know, with those gentlemen,
is there any part of it or one of those
individuals that you gravitated, you know, style gravitated that you
gravitated towards the most and like, like you were saying methodical,
did you pick up being more methodical or did you
pick up other attributes?
Speaker 4 (05:00):
So I'd say I kind of I kind of took
a little bit from all of them. So Tim, I'm
not really like a patient wrestler. I want to get
there and I want to attack. Most of the time
I attack, and like I get a takedown in the
first ten seconds, so I'm always looking to attack. So
that didn't really fit his style. But I'm also like
brute stands. I like to snap people down, do go
(05:22):
behind like Alex, but can also do like funky stuff
like Jalen. So I think it was I gravitated. I
don't think I gravitated to one specific person. It was
just like all of them helped me.
Speaker 3 (05:34):
Okay, what is good?
Speaker 2 (05:35):
So what about you know other people outside of the
matter of fact before we go get just the mad
what about the coaches and how to hell?
Speaker 3 (05:44):
And how did you know help you out along the way.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
So I've been coached by a lot of coaches. My
my high school coach, coach Cooper, who was Who's who
started me? Great coach, very good with the with the beginning,
I mean, and the like the basics, and then I trained.
I went to Arlington coach Simpson, coach Slaughter, coach coach Slaw,
(06:10):
all the great coaches that they critique you even when
you're at your best. I was even when I was
going I was people I wouldn't like where I'm at now,
but I was good and people knew I was good.
Speaker 2 (06:21):
And if you if you started out how you are now,
then I mean damn So.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
So Arlington's whole coaching staff is great. I really appreciate them.
Houston too, that they're like family and Christian Brothers is
the last school high school team I've I'm attending practice with.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
What about family, you know, no, Monster's journey.
Speaker 4 (06:45):
I mean my dad, my parents, I mean that is
kind of an understatement to say how much they helped
me get me the trips, pay for stuff. I mean,
I don't have a job.
Speaker 3 (06:55):
So do have a question. Did your father roussele you
a whole lot in this process?
Speaker 4 (07:01):
We we've like I wouldn't say I know him.
Speaker 3 (07:03):
Because he's torturing. Yah. You know, he's a guy.
Speaker 4 (07:07):
So we've been like breakdown stuff. But I wouldn't really say,
like wrestling wrestling just because like injuries and stuff. You know,
don't want to like get him hurt or anything.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
I know what, I like that he definitely had hurt
you Dad. I think he will.
Speaker 2 (07:25):
I know he will tell you definitely try to sit
him on med guy with.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
I'm not a three hundred.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Pounds so I know, well, let's say a hell of
a thing right there, you know, just to have the
support system, because you know, one thing for sure is
asking is that you know, we're only as great as
the people that's around us sometimes, and if you have
that great support with his family, you know, the people
on the mat, those people really help make us better.
Speaker 3 (07:51):
You know, me and your father, Erica, you know.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
As old as I said, as old as we are,
we're older, but you know, we have to surround ourselves
with good people.
Speaker 3 (08:02):
That's what makes us great.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
But like, while you're on the mat, you know what
was like your turning point, you know, you know your
turning point, Like you know that that moment that that
made you good, you know that that shifted everything.
Speaker 4 (08:15):
So I'd say I've had two turning points in my
career right now. The first one was when I went
to Atlanta to wrestle at the Super thirty two qualifier.
The actual Super thirty to tournament is the hardest high
school folks style tournament in the country. But I went
up there and there was this Alabama state champ that
(08:36):
wrecked me. Like I'd never been TechEd in the folks
style match ever. You got to be up by like
fifteen points was senior, I was a sophomore. I was
a sophomore going it was the summer going to junior year,
and I got wrecked. I got tecked, and he put
a pace on me that I hadn't experienced that, and
I like, I didn't know how to feel about myself
because that never happened to me like that, Like I've
(08:57):
been beaten, but not like that, Like that was dominance.
That wasn't like he just won that match and I
just felt really bad. I ended up wrestling back two matches,
won and then lost in the blood rounds. But yeah,
after that, I knew that I wanted to change the
pace of my wrestling and that was a big, big
turning point in my career. And now I'm kind of
(09:20):
like known for my pace.
Speaker 2 (09:22):
So you know, like in some of these sports, especially
like like like wrestling or even like I'm gonna use
this as an example. It was a fight with like
Frank Trid and Robbie Lawler. It was like in Hawaii
or something. But after the fight that, you know, because
Frank Trigg lost pretty bad, he lost pretty rough, you know,
and he had to get like what they call a
sports psychologist to help him recover because he couldn't see
(09:44):
the right hand coming no more, but without without flinching up.
So when we lose big or when we lose bad,
you know, we have some type of mental block that
you have one for a minute, and if you did,
how did.
Speaker 3 (09:58):
You recover from?
Speaker 4 (10:00):
Actually think I had a mental block and the way
I were and it was really my coaches and my
training because I trusted in my training and my coaches,
and I can't do anything but keep wrestling and keep
going to practice, so there's no need to complain and
think about this thing that happened in the past, and
now all I have to do is just keep going forward.
Speaker 3 (10:20):
Right.
Speaker 4 (10:20):
So yeah, that's that's how I got over there, and
I just kept training, just kept training.
Speaker 3 (10:25):
What was the timeframe that you all like it took
up month? Two months?
Speaker 4 (10:28):
No, it never really like I mean, now it's kind
of like set in a little bit, but it's all
It always felt like I was in the journey, like
I haven't reached my destination yet.
Speaker 3 (10:38):
Okay, well, so what was the second one you said you.
Speaker 4 (10:40):
Had to The second one was when I started going
to Christian Brothers. And that's when I I've always traveled
out of like now, I've been in Nashville a couple
of times, but I went to when I started going
to Christian Brothers, I started traveling out the state. So
I've been to like Michigan, all these other places in
North Dakota, and there's a new level of wrestling, and
(11:01):
so it was a big turning point because I got
to experience something new and and so because of that,
I'm you know, I'm grateful and it helped me because
now it made Tennessee easier, right, So it was just
like it was. It was great.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
So, speaking of mindset and growth, how did you mentally
push through the tough times you deal with self doubt?
And if you did, how did you ever come in?
Speaker 4 (11:26):
So this year was probably my worst year with self
doubt because me and my dad and most of the
people that I'm close with have this thought because I
was winning all these and placing at these national tournaments
that I was just gonna like flow through and go
through Tennessee State and undefeated and all that and win state.
But it was hard like trying to like win matches
(11:50):
and before the matches being nervous because everybody's expecting me
to win and nobody's expecting me to lose. So I'm like,
I got to keep this like I can't lose. If
I lose, everybody's gonna be like I'm not good or whatever.
But I had to stop thinking about the outcome of
the match and what other people were thinking and start
(12:12):
wrestling my match. And then after a while, I just
like I wasn't getting nervous, I was getting ready, and
I was ready to wrestle instead of thinking about the
outcome and just ready to get to my attacks and
get to my pace and set the tone of the match.
And I think that that changed. It not changed, but
(12:34):
it Yeah, it helped me. It helped me get over
this year because this year it was bad. I end
up the end of the season thirty and two and
losing to the same dude twice in a row. It's
a really good record, though, yeah it is. But I
was expecting to go undefeated, but I ended up losing
to him, and like even my dad like he was
(12:55):
on me. He was like, is there something wrong? And
I was like, I just lost, and like for a
little bit it did like not making words, but that
was like, oh dude, I really lost and I wasn't
expecting to.
Speaker 2 (13:09):
So Safan's is like, you know, like like that feeling,
you know, was that was self doubt? So how did
you overcome the self doubt?
Speaker 3 (13:16):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Yeah, So I just I just kept training my coaches
like they believed in me. Like he came up to
me after I lost before Regionals, he said he worked
too hard in the room to lose to somebody like that,
not not belittling him or anything. But you work too
hard and the partners the room, you do too much
to forward to end like that and for you to
(13:39):
lose to somebody like that. And and I was like,
I was like, you're right. So what I do? I
just decided to train harder and even harder and pick
my partners, pick better partner better people. I trained with
college guys in the room that that come to the
Christian Brother's room. I try to train with the best
person in the room and the best person for me.
And I found that that has helped with my success
(14:00):
and it self, doubt went out the window and I
got gained confidence.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
So I want to ask this because I'm wondering. I've
been wondering for a while. I've never asked. But this,
you know, it still goes into mindset and growth. But
this is more so about the mindset on the mat.
And I'll give you an example. This is a picture
perfect example, but slay for instance, when I was doing
jiujitsu at one point, okay, we had a mindset on
(14:26):
the on the mat of how to approach some of
these situations. So I look at this guy, I might say,
you know what he.
Speaker 3 (14:34):
He has weaknesses.
Speaker 2 (14:36):
Like in basketball, Alan Iverson used to love to drive
to the right and he never drove to the left right,
but he was really good at going to the right
and no one can stop it. But on that mat,
I was like, you know what, they're good and that
guy ain't good to the right. So you know, when
I take him down, I need to take him down
to his left, I mean, to his right side. Need
to do that end up maybe in entire control. If
(14:56):
it goes right, then I go into mount maybe and
I know that that's what I want to do, because
really what I want to do is try to get
him in a triangle at that point.
Speaker 3 (15:06):
You know what, I can get.
Speaker 2 (15:07):
The triangle from the mount, but he'll see it coming
and I know that, and so instead I transition to
the ar bar. And if the arm bar, it's only
a couple of ways he can get out. Either he
give me the arm and he rolled out, or either
two he roll into me. But hey, this dude's grip
is really good. So I open up my left leg
just a tad bit so he can roll into me.
Speaker 3 (15:29):
Damn lock it in.
Speaker 2 (15:30):
So it's like a chain of events of how things
happen when you're on the mad. Do you have a
chain of events of how things play out or is
it all just.
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Reflex I'd say it's a little bit of both in
different moments. Like some moments, most of the time it's
muscle memory. Just how you train is how you'll get
out of that situation. But I definitely like can relate
to how you're explaining that jiu jitsu situation, and that's
exactly how it is. While I'm wrestling. There's only a
few options that he can do from this position, and
(16:02):
I know these options. I know the counter of these options.
So he give if he does this and I do this,
and it's it's a big chess game. It's it's a
it's a really big chess game. And I had to understand,
like mentally how to how to like think but still
be like because you know, you're not supposed to like
think and like active and all this. But it's a
(16:25):
it's a certain level of thinking that you have to
do and a certain level of iq that you have
to have to be able to chain rustle like that.
Speaker 3 (16:33):
So how long did it take before you learn how
to chain the rustle like that? You know?
Speaker 4 (16:36):
Mentally, I'd probably say, eleventh grade year going twelfth grade
a year because I just had to understand wrestling. I
still don't understand it fully, but I understand the basics
and I can go into any room and understand and practice.
So I mean, yeah, it's definitely.
Speaker 3 (16:56):
So for you to get there.
Speaker 2 (16:58):
What you ended up doing was really was a training
process and discipline.
Speaker 3 (17:03):
Yeah, okay, well that's a that's a hell of a thing.
Speaker 2 (17:07):
But you know, just like anything, you know, it definitely takes,
you know, some type of training. And what did your
training process look like overall, you know, to get where
you are today because from because you've been doing it
for four years, from ninth grade to twelfth grade consistently
too right, So I want you to take us through
this process from ninth grade to twelfth grade, your training
(17:29):
and how did it change.
Speaker 4 (17:31):
So ninth grade year, I was I just practice and
then homework a home this during the school year. So
practice wasn't too crazy. I wasn't like doing any really
like extra workouts or anything. Ninth grade year was pretty normal.
I was like a normal wrestler. I didn't really want
it that bad. Tenth grade year is when I started
(17:52):
going to a lot of camps at Arlington. It was
like sixth to nine hour camps and I'm just like
learning and it's a lot of information being thrown at me.
Uh So I'm just I'm I'm learning, so I'm not
really I'm practicing too, but it's just practicing camps. Eleventh
grade year is when I start doing privates. I was
(18:12):
doing privates with a two time state champion from Christian Brothers,
Drake Bowers. I was doing privates with him coaches, getting
extra workouts in practicing, harder, practicing after practice, just wanted
it more. And then twelfth grade year, I kind of
kept doing the same thing. I started lifting a little
(18:35):
bit more because I really don't lift.
Speaker 3 (18:38):
What's wrong with lifting?
Speaker 4 (18:39):
I really just don't. I don't really like it. I'm
not gonna say I don't like it. I just don't
see the excitement in it, like let's go to the
gym and pump iron. I get that excitement from wrestling,
but lifting weights seems more like a like a to
do than like a let's go do it. Like I
wouldn't do it as a hobby, but of course I
have to do it college.
Speaker 2 (19:00):
Of course, Oh you're gonna have to do a big
time you know, like some of the you know, I'm
pretty sure you heard of, like guys like Jordan Burrow.
Speaker 3 (19:08):
That guy he's a monster. Yeah, she had a main double. Abe.
Speaker 4 (19:13):
Those dudes are like a freak. What is he like?
A six time champion, he's he's one nas these one
world he's one Olympics.
Speaker 3 (19:23):
He's he's yeah, he's he's phenomenal. What have you? What
was his name?
Speaker 2 (19:29):
What's his name? Anthony? That was him, you know, the
one lay He was a one lager wrestler.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
Oh yeah, from he wrestled the Arizona stage.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
That was a hell of a I remember watching him
on ESPN. But he just recently, you know, they got
a movie out on Prime.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
Yeah. I've actually I've met that dude, the dude that
he was wrestling in the finals from Iowa. Yeah, I've
met that dude. He he's come and ran a camp
at a Christian Brothers Ny Julius. Yeah, yeah, really cool dude, electric.
He's a fun dude to be around. It's pretty coold.
I haven't got a chance to meet of course. Uh Jordan, Yeah,
(20:14):
Jordan Burrows, Yeah, Yeah, he's a he's a monster. I
just had to bring him up. But that was that
was a hell of a thing. So what about you know,
like far as No, just put it like this. When
you're out there on that mat, you know you got
these people out here looking it's a lot of pressure. Yeah,
it's a lot of pressure. How do you manage that?
Speaker 3 (20:37):
You know?
Speaker 2 (20:38):
Because save instance, I did a question, The question would
be this right here, when you first went out there
on that mat, how did you feel? Was it a
certain amount of nerves that you that you dealt with?
Speaker 4 (20:48):
Yeah, I got like nerves in my head, my stomach.
And then it's like you go checking to the table
and on the way to the middle of the match,
you're looking around, see how the people looking at you,
the coach is looking. You're probably like walking back to
the middle of the mat with the wrestler beside you,
and it's like a it's a crazy feeling that kind
(21:09):
of never goes away. But you just kind of deal
with it and find ways to deal with it, because
if you don't get nervous before it match, something's wrong.
Speaker 3 (21:19):
And what point did you begin to like block it out?
Speaker 2 (21:23):
No, Because I mean, look, I've dealt with it a
few times and it can be overwhelming the feeling can
be overwhelming, knowing that people looking at you, you know,
knowing you need to perform, but it's difficult. Yeah, So
at what point did did you get comfortable with them?
Speaker 4 (21:38):
I'd say I'm getting more comfortable the bigger stage that
I wrestle, and then when I wrestle down so like
a like a level. So like when I went to
North Dakota, I wrestled at this big arena and the
stadium was massive. But then when I go back to
Rustle at a local tournament, it's easier. So I'd say
(22:01):
just experience. So like experience and other things, it just
makes it. It makes the smaller things easier, right, So
I mean even like when I experienced something new, I
don't know how to handle. I mean I don't know
how to deal with it at the moment. Maybe like after,
but at the moment, Like when I went to Fargo
Russell my first match, I was so nervous. In the
(22:23):
stadium's like massive, It's like a football stadium for wrestling.
It was like twenty thirty match or something like that.
It was crazier.
Speaker 3 (22:32):
So what was your biggest match I that you can remember?
Speaker 4 (22:40):
So when you say biggest match. Do you mean like
the biggest match that meant something to me, or like
in general.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
This in general, like far as impact, like the you know,
the largest match, amount of people all that.
Speaker 4 (22:54):
I probably have to say my my state finals match.
Okay about that one, So this my state in general
or my finals stayed in general up to the finals,
so stayed in general. Me and my dad. The brackets
come out the week of before the tournament, so we're
(23:15):
looking at the bracket. I was the two seed, and
I just I'm looking at all these potentials that could
happen or with me who I'm wrestling. And the first
dude I beat him before I TechEd him in the
first period, so it was like it was like, okay,
been there, done that tech the first dude last year,
(23:37):
second dude, I pinned him in a minute. So that
was that was That was pretty That was the quarterfinals. Yeah,
that was the quarterfinals. And then my dad was talking
about the dude. He had never seen him wrestle, so
it was like once I beat him, I looked over
there my dad. It was like I kind of gave
him a little stand down like this d was talking
(23:57):
about it because I like to scout you know what
I mean.
Speaker 5 (24:03):
I like to just look at their their videos and
just like, Okay, this is what this kid likes to do.
And I know my son has the biggest tool bag
I've seen in person.
Speaker 4 (24:18):
I mean, he has a lot of moves. So I scalped.
Speaker 5 (24:21):
And that one kid he had to go against in
the quarters, I couldn't find nothing on him, and I'm like,
and last year he wrestled at one seventy five, they
had two fifteen, So I was like, I didn't know,
go ahead, I'm.
Speaker 4 (24:34):
Sorry, but yeah, I ended up pinning this dude and
like I looked over there and yeah, he was like
predicted to win. People predicted him to win, stayed he
didn't even place.
Speaker 3 (24:46):
Oh wow.
Speaker 4 (24:48):
And then my semifinal max this is where I lost
last year. I lost six to three in the semifinals.
So I had this match against this dude. He's beat
I've beaten people he's lost to pretty bad. But it's wrestling,
so you could lose. I could lose to him still,
So the match starts. I was I was kind of nervous,
(25:08):
like I was explaining before, because I'd lost it previously
last year. So the match started, I got to my attacks.
I took him down in like, uh, the first thirty seconds,
and so I felt good about that. He got up
and I took him down again after that. It's just
like how you were talking about people with strong grip strength.
(25:30):
So it's kind of known like people from Franklin that
the high school is from. They're really scrambling, so they're
hard to score on. So my coach comes up to
me and reminds me that before the match, and it's
kind of like in my head. So that third shot
that I take it, he stuffs it and we're scrambling.
So scrambling takes a lot of energy out of you.
So we continue doing this and I'm continually pressuring in
(25:54):
and getting to my getting to my tax, but he's
keeps scrambling. So I end up getting tired and we
went into overtime. I had two star calls in like
the last twenty seconds. It was whatever, we end up
going to overtime seven to seven, so if we have
a minute to get a takedown, or we're going to
like triple overtime or something like that. So I ended
(26:16):
up getting to take down in like the first what
like ten seconds, won the match, and his people weren't
happy about it, but it was kind of a relief,
Like I never expected to lose to that dude. It
wasn't like in my head that I was going to
lose to him, but it was just I was I
was a little nervous. I can admit I was a
little nervous. Yeah, yeah, I did.
Speaker 3 (26:38):
Which match was it? Was it the first match?
Speaker 4 (26:40):
This is my semi final match.
Speaker 3 (26:41):
Semifinal match.
Speaker 2 (26:42):
Okay, So going into the final match, Going into the
final match, were you kind of tired because you know,
going in overtime, you know, yeh, those things, you know,
the longer it goes on, the more it takes that
energy out of the Yeah. So were you going into
the to the final match a little exhausted.
Speaker 4 (26:58):
No. The way they set the tournament, they do it
in a two day tournament. So we wrestled all the
way to the semi finals that first day, and then
we wrestled the consolations and then the finals that that
next day. So I got a good night's sleep. I
was definitely still sore, like my forearms, my legs, my
ankle was pretty sore. I had to get that tape
(27:20):
the next day.
Speaker 2 (27:20):
Actually, Okay, So tell us about the final match, how
it didn't go, so we want to hear about.
Speaker 4 (27:26):
The finals was crazy. They walk everybody down there at
this because it's like a rodeo, So they walk us
down and then we do like this ceremony where he's
on the other end of the mat and I'm on
the other end, and we walked down. Then they call
our name, put like pictures up there, so we do
that national anthem, and then they rustle like three weight
(27:47):
classes before me. So I'm getting ready to wrestle and
I'm not really nervous. I was nervous in my semifinals,
but I wasn't nervous. My dad was nervous, and he
talks about this all the time. I'm walking back and
forth and he's looking looking for me, and he looks
at me and I wink at him and he's like
he's like, uh, he said, what are you turning? My coach,
(28:08):
and he's like he gonna, he gonna, he gonna get this.
Speaker 2 (28:13):
And I was, And I was gonna ask you about it,
but told me, but I had to hear.
Speaker 3 (28:20):
It from you. I didn't have to ask.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
So yeah, so I was I was ready, like I
told you, I was order to rumble. I was order brawl,
and we got up there. His teammate one state at
one ninety before him. His teammate just threw his coach
celebration all that, and then I see his coach like
whisper something to him, and in my head in that moment,
(28:45):
I'm like, they're either game planning for me or he's
given him like words of encouragement or both. So I'm like,
he couldn't like, like you said no about me, So
I'm like, I'm a little like on the on the fence.
So I ended up taking him down in like fifteen seconds.
I took him down three or four times in the
(29:06):
first period. This is the most dominant match yet. Everybody
else match had went like scoreless into the third period.
But I rustled the most dominant match in the tournament yet.
Speaker 3 (29:15):
That's a hell of a hell of a performance.
Speaker 2 (29:17):
I mean because even at that level of wrestling, those
like you were just saying, you know, sometimes you don't
get those take downs.
Speaker 3 (29:25):
Sometimes they go scoreless.
Speaker 4 (29:26):
Yeah, but to.
Speaker 3 (29:27):
Get that minute take downs, I mean, did you feel
like you were in his.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Own I definitely was, or was safe instance, is this
not to talk down about your competition.
Speaker 3 (29:37):
Did you feel like he was listening you or you
was just there a good moment?
Speaker 4 (29:42):
Okay, I think it was a little bit of both.
So he is a sophomore. He placed last year, but
I just didn't I feel like it just wasn't his time.
He Not like belittling him or anything, but I just
feel like he is two more years. He didn't want
(30:03):
it bad enough, and you could tell just by like
the match. Slowly, but surely he like started going downhill
and like started like giving up, and I felt that.
But the stakes are higher when you're a senior. This
is your last high school tournament. So I mean I
wanted it bad. I wanted it more than him.
Speaker 2 (30:24):
So I do have something a question kind of I
want to ask because when I looked at your weight class,
I'm like, he's two fifteen, I'm like, damn, two fifteen one.
I'm like, fascinate that big. I'm like, he can't be whinning.
He gained his weight. Then I asked, like, no, he
went in at one ninety five. So this is the
(30:46):
first part of the question. How did that happen? How
did you end up you know, transitioning and going up right?
I mean because you were still small compared to what
everybody else would normally. Wait, yeah, I tell him your
out that.
Speaker 4 (31:00):
So I mean, like since my first meeting, I was
always behind, Like I wrestled one. I wrestled one ninety five,
so I've always wrestled up a weight class. I was
wrestling like weighing like one. So I just like kept
gaining like muscle. And then so I wrestled one ninety
last year, and I was cutting wait for just a
(31:21):
little bit, but then over the summer I kind of
like let myself out of one ninety a little bit.
I still wrestled a little bit, but I started lifting
more and eating more, and so I started gaining more muscle,
and you know, muscle weighs more than fat. So I
started gaining like more weight than I see. And I
was like, like, I was supposed to go one ninety
(31:42):
for state, but dissin playing all that stuff messed up.
But I'm glad I ended up, not because I can
eat now, I didn't have to cut weight.
Speaker 3 (31:49):
That's supposed to the answer.
Speaker 2 (31:50):
So you didn't have to cut weight then I didn't,
so you went in full strength, full strength.
Speaker 4 (31:55):
So last year I lost in the semifinals. I had
to cut weight the rest of that next day. I
cut WAIT three times in like the span of a
couple of hours. I had to cut wait that night,
that morning, and when I got to the stadium, you
were depleted, Then I was depleted. My lips were purple cracked, bleeding.
I don't even think I was able to sweat. It was.
It was hard. It was that was definitely.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
You couldn't perform then I couldn't. Yeah, So I would say,
you know, this is just my assesstment. I'm looking at it.
You went in and it advantage compared to everybody else
because I'm pretty sure some of those guys.
Speaker 3 (32:28):
Had to cut weight.
Speaker 2 (32:29):
Yeah, you went in at full strength because you didn't
have to do that right.
Speaker 4 (32:32):
And that strategy. I mean a lot of people do that.
A lot of people play like weight bully and cut
weight to know be bigger than other people. But I
just felt like I was faster, more healthy, And you know,
your conditioning is good when when you're full and not tired,
that is true, and not like depleted. So I mean
my conditioning was great. Besides that, that semi final match
(32:54):
to the nerves kind of got to me. But besides that,
I was I felt great even that second day, a
little sore, but you know, definitely not cutting wait played
a big part in it, because cutting wait it's awful.
Speaker 3 (33:07):
Yeah, I mean, of course you know how it is.
Speaker 2 (33:10):
I mean, not only do you do it, but I'm
pretty sure before you became a wrestler or as you
became one, boxers do it.
Speaker 3 (33:17):
They do it, you know Nick's martial artists.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
They do it and then and that couldn't wait drains
them tremendously and then has a large effect.
Speaker 3 (33:26):
On their performance. You know, so you saw it first hand.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
No, so the question would be, like, with that scenario
or there was that your worst weight cut?
Speaker 4 (33:36):
That's the worst I felt with the weight cut. It's
not the most weight I've cut. I cut for like
freestyling Girco State. I cut like twenty two in a week.
I was two. I can't remember. I think, like my
math is off, but I think I was like two
oh five or something, and then that Monday, by Friday,
I was one eighty eight. So it was a pretty
(33:57):
big cut. But I didn't feel like awful. I was drained,
didn't deplete it, of course, but I didn't feel like
that that was the worst I've ever felt from cutting weight,
and it was awful. I mean, I'm going ninety seven
in college, so it's a little it's a lower than
two fifteen, but it's more like that's my perfect weight,
I'd say it. I was kind of upset when they
took They took it from ninety to from ninety five
(34:20):
to ninety and it kind of made the weight cut
a little harder. That's when I made the choice to
go to fifteen.
Speaker 3 (34:25):
Awesome, I'm glad I did so.
Speaker 1 (34:28):
Out of all of this, right, out of all the
four years you've wrestled so far, what would you say
wrestling has taught you the most about life and resilience.
Speaker 4 (34:38):
I'd say hard work can achieve dreams, because it's one
thing to be able to say that, Like everybody, that's
a thing, like if you work hard, you'll achieve your dreams,
but it's one thing to actually do it and experience it.
You work four years for a goal and you finally
get it. It's like it's a surreal feeling that doesn't
even feel real, and it's just like I don't know
(35:01):
how to explain it. It's a surreal feeling and I
just if you.
Speaker 1 (35:07):
Can't explain it, then how do you feel or how
did you feel when you went State?
Speaker 4 (35:12):
Like I did it? Like I know that's kind of
like vague, but like I did it, Like I worked.
I put in hours in the restroom, countless practicing coaches,
all this just for this one six minutes, and I
put everything online in one It felt like it was
(35:34):
almost like weight off my shoulders. This is real. I
was actually having trouble sleeping, like this whole postseason. I
couldn't sleep. I was waking up sweating. I had to
like wash my ses, dry my sheet because I was
sweating so much, and I didn't know why. It was
just anxiety. But after I won State, I could sleep.
I can sleep now. So it was just like weight
(35:57):
off my back because everybody was like over me, like
you're gonna win State this year. I'm like, yeah, that's
the plan. I'm like it's a lot of pressure. And
then finally when I won, I'm like I can breathe.
Like I did, I wont State. Everybody I was expected
to win stay that I did it.
Speaker 2 (36:14):
So it was like a relief, you know, you know
with you saying that, say, for instance, because I know
your mother, I know your father. They put in a
lot of work themselves, and and I will attribute that hard.
You know, that work ethic that you have based on
you're seeing them, because if you never saw them work
(36:36):
as hard as they do, sometimes it'd be hard for
you to understand or see the effort that you have
to put in to actually be great. You know they
put in work. They tired as hell they are, but
that's part of it. If you want to be great,
there's no stopping at that. So with this one right here,
we definitely command mom and daddy well being a good
(36:57):
example of saying, you know what, this is what you
need to be, and this is how you need to
go about doing it. Because if there was anything less,
you wouldn't have been, You wouldn't been what you were.
So even if you didn't recognize it in a moment,
it's something that happened. We become what we see. We
don't become what we hear. We become what we see.
You saw them do and put in a lot of work.
(37:19):
So we clam for Mom and Daddy on that one too.
Speaker 4 (37:24):
Appreciate that A lot of drivers a lot of Saturday
morning I'm gonna miss it.
Speaker 5 (37:34):
I really am miss waking up at seven, eight o'clock,
driving him to the venue and going back home in
something to eat, and going back up there like nine
or ten or eleven, and waiting until about six or
seven at night, you know what I mean.
Speaker 4 (37:52):
We went to iron Man last summer.
Speaker 3 (37:54):
We were there for sixteen hours, you know what I mean,
in the gym, just waiting, and I remember.
Speaker 5 (38:00):
Hating every bill, hating every second of waiting like that,
and I just I would see my son over there
with his friends, his coaches, and in between stuff, he
would come over here and sit with me.
Speaker 4 (38:18):
We'll check.
Speaker 5 (38:19):
People will talk about stuff that's going on, like when
they're not like us dropped. We were in the gym
and at Summit High School and we were talking about
that and.
Speaker 4 (38:29):
Just like.
Speaker 5 (38:31):
He has grown over these last four years being my guy.
Speaker 4 (38:36):
That's he was one of my best friends in my
life and that's awesome.
Speaker 3 (38:45):
Yeah, I'm gonna.
Speaker 2 (38:47):
Miss it, but that's part of being a great parent,
you know, and and you know, and and putting forth
at effort and showing them this is how it was,
this is how it's done. And we don't give up. Yeah,
we don't give up. And I'll say this too. I
tell this story to a multiple people. I think I
know I told you, Daddy. I don't know if you
(39:07):
remember it though, But this dude in the gym, he
was training me for a match, and I was kind
of scared of the guy, you know, he was he
was a monster. And he said, hey, what are we
what are we doing? I'm like, I'm like, oh, I'm
like thirty. He said, what the f is? What is
thirty or forty percent? He said, either were doing this
(39:28):
ship or we ain't, you know? And I carry that
model for the rest, you know, from then on up,
either you're doing it or you're not right. And what
you're doing right now somen is you're doing it.
Speaker 3 (39:39):
I'm proud of you, Thank you. I'm proud of the
f you put in.
Speaker 2 (39:43):
And I love seeing your mother and father you know,
be there with you because you can't be what you
are without.
Speaker 3 (39:49):
Them right now. That is amazing. And congratulations on the father.
Thank you. Good job mama you're not here. Good job
to you too.
Speaker 5 (40:01):
I think you gave bought it for him for like
winning a tournament or birthday.
Speaker 4 (40:07):
Yeah, my bag that did play a big part traveling,
traveling help that bag and a Duffel bag. The only
thing I needed it was it was perfect.
Speaker 2 (40:15):
Well, you know, you know, when you do great things,
they needs to be acknowledged. And you, to me, you
deserve that because a lot of young people don't put
it into work. They don't put it into work to
accomplish way shit, they just don't. But you did that,
and I couldn't have been more proud of you. No,
nowly just as a you know, we'll call you my nephew,
(40:38):
but technically god to.
Speaker 3 (40:40):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 2 (40:41):
So so no, if you deserve that, and whatever else
you get, you deserve that too. As long as you
keep putting in the work, you only get what you
put in, all right, That's how it goes life.
Speaker 1 (40:51):
Yeah, you're speaking of putting in work. What are your
future aspirations? We know you're going to college for wrestling, right,
we know that, and we know you're excited. Do you
plan to stick with wrestling? Do you want to try
something else? And after everything you've been through, would you
consider mentoring other athletes, younger athletes?
Speaker 4 (41:11):
So I definitely, I don't know if I would be good.
I kind of think I'm like a like a Michael
Jordan like he was a better player than he was
a coach. But maybe like along the way because I've
coached matches, kids and stuff like that. But just right now,
I don't really know if I if I do it,
but I do like coaching kids a little just a
little bit after besides wrestling, though, I do want to
(41:36):
become a psychologist. No, not become a psychologist, go to
get a degree in psychology and then either become a
sports psychologist or going to law school. Okay, so yeah,
that's the plan. That's what I want to do. So
and it depends on how my body is after wrestling,
because really I don't want to stop wrestling till like
(41:58):
thirty five. I love it too much. But if my
body doesn't allow it, I probably switch over to jiu
jitsu just to like stay on the mat. It's a
little easier on the body, definitely a lot easier than wrestling.
But I just like I want to be on the map.
But with that, right, there is.
Speaker 2 (42:16):
No special with the you doing jiu jitsu or we'll
just say, like MMA, right, the reason why you got
a you got a hell of a foundation because the
majority of people, even statistically and MMA today are mostly dominated,
and for a long time, the most successful people are
always wrestless.
Speaker 3 (42:37):
Yeah, they were always wrestless, you know.
Speaker 2 (42:39):
So even going into jiu jitsu, that's a really a
good advantage because you determine how things go. You have
a foundation, so you'll probably be successful at it. You'll
definitely be successful at it. And also you was talking
about your you know, like future aspirations and everything, and
this is just me, you know, being me. You know,
(43:00):
I'm always giving advice, you know, and whether you decide
to take it or not. But it's out here, and
it's more so to give you understanding about how things navigate,
how we navigate things, because a lot of what we experience,
what I've seen in this life action is we've done
things backwards, okay, And what I mean by this is
(43:24):
we have this process. Sometimes we choose what we do
and then we want to find ourselves.
Speaker 3 (43:30):
But we've been doing that our whole life.
Speaker 2 (43:32):
I've done it early on, Erica, your mama, your father,
most adults have.
Speaker 3 (43:38):
We've been taught backwards.
Speaker 2 (43:40):
So what this means is that you do your best
at finding out who you are right now today, and
then you align yourself with what you want to do
in your future, whatever the hell it is.
Speaker 3 (43:50):
But definitely make sure you always know who you are because.
Speaker 2 (43:54):
As you progress, you're going to always have to find
out who you are because it changes. You know who
you are today, it may not be who you are.
Well by the time you're twenty five, you ain't gonna
be the same person.
Speaker 1 (44:05):
You'll be completely different.
Speaker 3 (44:06):
You'll be completely different, you.
Speaker 1 (44:07):
See the world completely different.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
Yeah, so this, you know, the process of self discovery
is the ongoing journey. It never ends. But always know
who you are. If you always know who you are,
you always know what you need to do, well, you
have a better chance what you need to do. Let's
put it like that.
Speaker 3 (44:24):
So then that's just the wisdom I want to part
on you.
Speaker 2 (44:27):
Just try to remember that don't work backwards because it
can kind of screw you up a long term.
Speaker 1 (44:37):
So, you know, being that we've had this conversation and
you have a lot of a lot of knowledge, right,
I don't think you realize exactly how much knowledge you have, Right,
what advice would you give the other athletes, maybe not
even just wrastlers, but athletes in general, Like.
Speaker 4 (44:54):
How would you tell them to continue to keep.
Speaker 1 (44:56):
Going even through wins, but more than anything else, with
your losses.
Speaker 4 (45:01):
I'd say, like I have this, I talk about this
with my dad. Like I've never considered a loss a loss.
I've always considered as learn And I know people say
that all the time, but it's real. You assess on
how you lost, on even how you win. You you
can learn from winning, like everybody makes mistakes even when
you do win. So I'd say, just, of course, never
(45:26):
give up, but focus on the small things. The small
things make the big things. And it could be a
matter to your footwork, your sleep schedule, your training schedule,
but the small things. And I had to learn that
people are so stuck on the big picture on why
this stuff is not happening that they look over the
small things. And I think the small things matter. And
(45:47):
I definitely think that that is something that all athletes,
all people should learn and remember and should stick by that.
Speaker 2 (45:56):
Well, ask you that is that is phenomenal. You are
a phenomenal young man, and you have a great mind.
You articulated everything well. And so we're gonna get ready to,
I guess, get ready to bring this.
Speaker 3 (46:12):
To an end.
Speaker 2 (46:12):
And the only thing I want to share with you,
I don't know if Erica has anything to share with you,
but it's this right here.
Speaker 3 (46:19):
Dream and think big all the time.
Speaker 2 (46:21):
It takes as much energy to think small, I mean,
think big as it does to take to us to
think small.
Speaker 3 (46:26):
So think and dream big all the time. And you've
got that, okay.
Speaker 4 (46:31):
You know.
Speaker 1 (46:32):
Piggybacking off of that, don't ever let anybody put you
into a box action, you know what I mean, or
even if you box yourself in, the greatest advice I
can give you is never closed the lid right just
because you're experiencing something right now. It's just a small
moment in time.
Speaker 3 (46:48):
It's not your life.
Speaker 1 (46:50):
You have a whole life to live, and you know
starting out great. If you stay with what you're doing
now and you stick with the mindset you have now
and you grow on it, you're destined for greatness.
Speaker 3 (47:04):
Is there anything that you want to say before we
leave Ashton?
Speaker 4 (47:09):
It's something I want to say and to put into
people's mind. So I see this. I've seen this quote
a bunch. I can't remember the dude's name, but it was.
It was the main character, the dad from Interstellar, and
was when he won the Grammy and when you want
to gramm me. And he gave a speech and it
(47:30):
was talking about who his who is, not his dream,
but his whose hero was, and he said that his
hero at the moment, his hero was himself in ten years.
And later on the same dude came and asked him,
are you a hero now? He said, no, it's myself
(47:50):
in ten years, and he kept going, and the more
he talked, the more I started to understand it more
that it's that constant like strive for greatness that keeps
people like you know, keep people in greatness and keeps
people striving. And so that that's something that's stuck with
me for a while ever since I've seen it that myself,
(48:14):
my hero is is my future self, and my future
self in the future it will be myself ten years later.
And I'm just I'm never perfect, I will never be perfect,
but I will strive for perfectness.
Speaker 3 (48:30):
And that is great, Ashton. And thank you for sharing
it with us.
Speaker 2 (48:33):
Okay, that is beautiful, man, it is, and shit, you've
inspired me. I've never looked at it like that before,
but damn, that is phenomenal. But I appreciate you sharing
that not only with us, but everybody else. Who's going
to hear that? Okay, and so this is it. This
has been a Students of Life podcast. Thanks for listening
(48:53):
to everybody, live and learn.
Speaker 6 (49:14):
Okay, Tic Tay tap a cap technical
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