Wisconsin Grappler Blogs

This is what we all have been training for all year...Regionals and then Nationals. Its time to step it up even more. I believe our team is in the perfect position to do well at the regional tournament in Ashland, Ohio in two weeks. I believe we can qualify atleast 7 for the national tournament in Nebraska, Kearney. We've been training really hard all season, and I personally can't wait to get out on the mat again. It was a great addition to have Jeremy Ott come back to Parkside and coach. He has added a lot of intensity and motivation in the practice room. Our coaching staff has been outstanding this year and they are doing a good job getting us ready for regionals and nationals. Its just up to our team now to go out and do what we know we can do...and that's to win.

I also just want to wish the WIAC schools the best of luck in your conference tourney this coming up weekend. Wrestle hard!

Brad Becker (157lb-Parkside Senior

I know that it's pretty late in the season for my first post but better late than never. Our coach Jeremie Ott asked me and Brad to do this so that we would have one freshman and one senior with two totally different perspectives. I'm a true freshman from Mishicot, Wisconsin. I started wrestling at the age of four and have been in love with it ever since. In high school I started as a 23-11 145 lb. freshman and finished as a 160 lb state champion. Entering my wrestling career at Parkside I decided that I wanted to put more of a focus on wrestling. This would mean less cutting weight and I am currently wrestlng 184, with it being a pretty natural weight for me. I think that the biggest difference for me in adjusting to college wrestling would have to be the level of intensity. I had some help from Corey Van Groll to adjust. He is from Denmark, which is about a ten minute drive from my house so I got the oppurtunity to workout with him this summer two to three times a week. That helped me a lot to know what to expect when I got to Parkside. I am really enjoying myself here at UW-Parkside and got the chance to wrestle varsity because of a few injuries to our starters. Our season has been up and down so far. We have been competetive and wrestled hard all season but have been hit with injuries pretty hard so far. There are still a lot of matches to be wrestled and the most exciting part of the season to come.

Best of Luck to All,

Lucas Haag

Our season has begun as we recently participated in the UW-Stevens Point Open and the Concordia Open. We wrestled pretty well in both of these tournaments. On Wednesday, November 29, we will be dualing Upper Iowa (ranked 8th in DII) at UW-Parkside. It should be a good dual. And on Saturday, December 2, we will be hosting the Wisconsin Open. There should be a lot of good competition there with around 300 wrestlers.

At the moment I was able to walk it seemed like wrestling was in my blood. My dad wrestled in high school and he taught me a lot of things about the sport. My dad (Scott) wrestled for Hartford Union High School and ended up taking 4th in the state his senior year, when there was only 1 division back then. Once I got into kindergarten I started wrestling for the club team at Hartford. My mom and dad took me and my brothers to tournaments every Saturday and almost every Sunday. I finished my grade school years coming away with 4 kids Folkstyle State Championships. I owe a lot of my achievements in wrestling, and in life, to my parents. Once, I entered high school at Hartford the competition level got a little better. My goal was to become a high school state champion. However, I fell short of my goal and finished my high school years with a 4th, and two runner-up finishes at the state meet. It was the most disappointing time in my life as a wrestler. However, I regrouped and told myself that I wasn't done yet! The biggest thing my parents and coaches told me throughout my life is to never give up. And that's just what I did. I didn't give up and didn't become satisfied with my end result in high school wrestling. After high school, Coach Koch from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, offered me a scholarship to wrestle. I signed the papers and I had one goal in mind--To become a National Champion. As I found out early, college wrestling was extremely more competitive than high school wrestling. However, I took the challenge and in my freshman year at Parkside I was the starter at 149lbs. and became an All-American finishing 8th in the nation. My sophomore I also wrestled at 149 lbs. but my season didn't go so well. I missed qualifying for the national tournament. In my junior year I decided to redshirt and focus on what I really needed to work on to become a national champion. I began working more on the things that I needed to improve on in my wrestling. I also lifted weights harder and did a lot more cardio. As my senior year approached, I felt ready and eager to get back on the mat. I wrote down my goals and posted my ultimate goal of becoming a national champ above my bed. Each morning and night I would look at the goal and believe that it would come true. In order to become a great wrestler, I believe, you not only need to be in top physical condition and a great technician, but you also need the mental aspect. If you don't believe in yourself you'll never end up accomplishing what you want. As a result of my hard work and great mental attitude my senior year, I ended up achieving my goal. I became a National Champion! It was the best feeling in the world. All the hard work and dedication paid off. My past failures didn't faze me anymore. My finals match at the National tournament was a thriller. It all came down to the life lesson my parents taught me early on when I was a child--Never Give Up! I was down 6-0 with only 45 seconds left in the third period when I got my opponent from Fort Hays in a near side cradle and ended up pinning him. Now, that I am in my final year of wrestling in college I made up new goals. My ultimate goal again is to become a National Champion. Another goal I have is to help make my two brothers into National Champions. My two brothers (Kyle and Craig) have pushed me and made me who I am today. Without them and my family I would have a much tougher time accomplishing my goals. Once this season is over I am going to greatly miss competing. I am going to leave everything I have on the mat so there won't be any regrets later on in life.