Posted on 03/21/2009 11:10:05 AM PDT by BGHater
As many of you may know, I dissect many of the social problems that MMA can encounter and create as it intermingles with society. As “The Grumpy Sociologist,” that’s my role in the MMA media. Hey, nobody else really does it.
But I love a good story when I see one, and many of you may also know that I am an amateur wrestling enthusiast. While FightTicker.com is predominantly an MMA site, we would be remiss not to take notice that the NCAA Div. 1 National Wrestling Championships began this past Thursday and conclude today.
Exemplifying amazing determination over his life course, Arizona State’s 125 pounder, Anthony Robles, continues to wow spectators and opponents. The sophomore was born with only one leg, but don’t dare call this stellar athlete disabled. ESPN.com has an excellent overview of Robles and his progress through the NCAA D1 tournament.
No doubt, it’s difficult to ignore Robles’s physical difference, but his story simply reads as an athlete who is unbelievably resolute. According to ESPN’s story, after a mediocre freshman season wrestling in high school, Robles and his coaches changed his style, and Robles went on an ambitious training program that eventually led to a high school national title.
Robles spent the following summer training with bigger, better wrestlers on the Mesa varsity squad. He started to appreciate what getting beaten up in practice would do for him in competition. He placed sixth at the Arizona state tournament as a sophomore. He spent the next summer training against college wrestlers. He never lost another high school match.
Robles went 48-0 as a junior on his way to a state title at 103 pounds. He posted the same record as a senior, pinned his way through the 112-pound bracket at the state meet and capped his career later in the spring by winning his weight class at the 2006 High School Senior National Championships.
Robles went into this year’s NCAA Championship tournament seeded twelfth. After a first round bye, he defeated an Ohio State opponent, and then bested Charlie Falck of Iowa who was seeded fifth by a score of 8-3. In the quarterfinals, Robles then beat fourth seeded Brandon Precin of Northwestern 9-0. The latter win put Robles in the semi-finals, guaranteeing him All-American honors. He lost to #1 seed Paul Donahoe of Edinboro by a score of 5-2 and will wrestle Saturday for a third or fourth place finish.
Having only one leg is likely seen by most as a disadvantage, but Robles perceives his situation from a more positive angle. Having one less leg means he can have a much bigger and stronger upper body than his opponents, and he has developed an incredible grip over the years – a critical asset in wrestling.
The off-the-charts upper-body strength is easier to quantify. Robles bench presses 300 pounds. Ortiz said you'd have to go five weight classes up to find the next wrestler in the ASU lineup with comparable strength. He also has a vice-like grip, shaped by years of clasping whatever he needed to carry while getting around on crutches.
"I think having one leg, some people might see that as a disadvantage," Robles said. "But I use crutches all day long and that's given me great upper-body strength. That's an advantage I have over my opponents. They're smaller than me because they have both of their legs and I have a bigger upper-body.
"I think my advantages equal my disadvantages. It's kind of up to me to figure out what I need to do to win."
Forget the NCAA basketball tournament. I’m watching the real tournament today. The final day of D1 wrestling competition will be shown on ESPN2, beginning at 3:30pm, Pacific Standard Time.
Nice story...Will 0bama mock his bowling skills?
A friend of mine had a son with only one arm. The kid won his weight class at the state tourney.
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