The “Why” of an Adams State Athlete: Wrestler Edition

Paw Print Writer: Julia Donnelly

There’s a moment most athletes experience at least once in their athletic career, a moment that they could never forget. It’s the specific time when the pain in the body subsides after long, viscous periods, halves, or rounds, and the noise around disappears. This moment, when the whole body just knows what to do and the brain goes blank, the muscle memory kicks in, and the focus is at an all-time high. People call this a type of mode

athletes get into when participating in their specific sport, when it seems like they’re

about to give out, yet they find another gear to grind into. They call this “the zone” or

“the flow-state,” and this occurs when an athlete is fully immersed in their sport, trying

to achieve their goal. The real question is, why, though?

Why do athletes push themselves so hard to get to this point, and why are their

goals for themselves so important? Athletes go through hard, grueling practices where

they are constantly in pain and/or are pushing themselves, so what is the reason they do

this? What pushes athletes to push past their limits and what keeps them motivated in the

face of adversity is their GRIT, discipline, and their personal story.

Grit is passion, perseverance, the undying urge to get back up with attempt after

attempt. The failures built up, the pressure seeping in, threatening to break one’s spirit, but

grit doesn’t let those things get in the way. The acronym guts, resilience, initiative, and

tenacity in which one doesn’t let anything get in the way of their goals. A good example

of this is world champion Sarah Hildebrandt. For the longest time, Hildrebrandt didn’t

know her “why” for wrestling, and continued to come up with reasons that left her feeling

empty and doubtful (“Wrestler Sarah Hildebrandt”). She goes on to state, “I loved wrestling, and I wanted to succeed at the highest level, but I felt empty. I could not

answer my own 'why' honestly, and I gave an incomplete answer to others. Why was I

doing this?” Flavia Nagatani, a women’s wrestler at Adams State University and a former

national champion from Iowa Western, faced similar challenges. Nagatani faced the

challenge of going to a different school after Iowa Western, in which things did not go in

her favor.

Before Adam’s University Nagatani faced the challenge of poor coaching,

anxiety, and failure where she didn’t think she would find it, “I was confused because at

previous schools, I was always supported, so when I went to a school where the coach

didn’t treat the athletes right, I was shocked and disappointed, and it soon turned into

self-hatred for myself.” Nagatani faced this challenge, but because of her love for the

sport and her grit, she did not quit.”I know what my goals are; I just needed a change in

my heart and mind. It took a lot of convincing for me to leave my last school, but with

the help of friends and God, I was able to make the decision, and now I’m being guided

daily by God at a school that appreciates me.” Nagatani takes her challenges head-on and

doesn’t give up when disheartened because she knows everyone feels these upsets; it’s

what you do to separate yourself from others who are feeling the same way. Her “why” is

for God, and for her own individuality. This is continued with Sarah Hildebrandt as well, leaving her article with, “I wrestle because wrestling is not just my sport or my

profession. It is my philosophy. It is a physical demonstration of my truths and principles.

It has taught me lessons that have formed me. It checks me through challenges. Most

importantly, it reflects to me the authenticity of my approach to life. With this, I

don’t just give purpose to my wrestling, but to anything I do. I’m not only here to become

a great wrestler, but through that I can become a great human, and maybe…hopefully, leave the world a little better than when I entered it.” Grit is just one of many

aspects that push athletes to push beyond their limits.

Beyond grit, there are more aspects to the “insanity” that some athletes are in. An

instilled moral of a “why” for athletes at Adam’s is discipline, a gateway to success in all

sports, especially at the collegiate level. After years on the mat, coach Kyle Sand of the

women’s wrestling team, and alumnus of Adam’s state, had words to share, “The drive and

ability to push through hard times was built into me because I’ve wrestled for so long, at

that point it was a part of me. Discipline is second-nature.” Discipline is one of those

things that separates moderate athletes from great athletes, and learning to subjugate that

into a belief system, whether it’s been ingrained or is still in the process of learning, is

key to understanding the “why” of successful athletes. Sand won Nationals for Adams in

2009-10, claiming the title his first year attending, but the following year, he would n placed at all. “The next year, I went two and out, meaning I lost my first two matches,

and didn’t place, because the truth is, I didn’t show up. That is why it’s so important to

show up and do your work, because I went from first, to losing my first two matches of

the tournament.” Something detrimental happened in Sand’s life, “instead of using that to

fuel me, I let it bring me down,” that year Sand lost his friend, and was grieving, but now

he uses his knowledge for the new generation of Women’s Wrestlers teaching them how

to push past their limitations, maintain discipline, and embrace the struggle to find your

true self hiding underneath it all. Eventually, he will lead his team to nationals in hopes

of claiming the National title as a team. Some other things push people beyond

grit and discipline, and that is one’s personal story.

One’s personal story is something that can impact the trajectory of their success, and how they use that reason can become their “why.” For example, if an athlete has a

horrible past, they can use that to fuel their passion, or it can bring them down. Amit Elor,

The USA team member and gold medal champion at the 2024 Paris Olympics is a

great example of this. Elor states that she lost her brother to a gunshot, an armed robbery,

while she was away at her tournament, one who had been a great motivation in her

athletic career (Aimee Berg). “I did it for him, completely,” she said. “I wanted to support

him. I needed to do that. It really hurt that I wasn’t there and didn’t see him in the days

before, because of my wrestling, because of the trip.” Later on, before Elor went on to

win the Olympics, her father had died. Aimee Berg, author of Facing family tragedy,

online antisemitism, US wrestler Amit Elor vies for gold in Paris, states, “She did it for

her dad. In Paris, her first Olympic matches are scheduled for Aug. 5 — her father’s

birthday.” One’s personal story can be a huge motivator in the “why,” making some

people look insane, but really, it’s their story that pushes them to the brink of obsession.

Another great example of this is alumni Josiah Rider, two-time National Champion for

Adams State University, and now assistant coach for the Adams Men’s Wrestling team.

Josiah Rider originally attended North Carolina University, a D1 wrestling school, but the

school had been tough, mentally and physically demanding, so he decided to come back

home to Colorado, and in the following years, 2022 and 2023, he claimed his national

title. Sometimes it just takes a change of environment to create a new push. His father

was his reason for getting into wrestling, coached him throughout his beginning phase,

and his love for the sport grew enormously. “I just love all aspects of the sport, I really

just enjoyed wrestling, competing, both in high school and college.” Rider’s father lit that fire, and it sparked into something huge. Rider is now an assistant coach, using his love

for wrestling as a kid with his dad to share that same passion with the next generation

of wrestling. This is how a personal story can effectively impact an athlete’s trajectory,

which continues in grit and discipline.

There’s a moment most athletes experience at least once in their athletic career, a

moment that they could never forget. The “zone” or “flow-state,” and people wonder what

insanity pushes them. What pushes these successful athletes is grit, discipline, and

personal story. That is how they find another gear to grind into, because the “why” goes

so much deeper than surface-level pain, where an athlete’s motives go past

uncomfortable feelings and stretch into something beyond understanding. That is the

“why” that seems unbearable to some, but a blessing to others.