Well as you may have noticed, I have not posted on the blog for quite awhile.  The last time that I blogged was before the Olympic Trials this past summer. 

When I wrote that, I was so excited and so confident for the trials. I couldn’t wait to compete and make an Olympic team, one of the dreams that I have had for years.  However, I lost at the Olympic Trials. I came so close to winning the Olympic Trials, and in the last few seconds of my last match there the opportunity to represent the United States of America in the Olympic Games in front of the world in Beijing, China slipped through my fingers. Honestly it is hard for me to put into words the emotions that I felt during that time. I think that in the moment I was in a state of shock, disbelief, and extreme and utter sadness. I had dedicated so many years of my life to focused training to achieve that one goal that I have had for so long. It really, really, really hurt, and it hurt so badly.  When I went into practice after the trials was even more difficult ecause I saw the wrestler who beat me whom I had defeated so many times before in ompetition and in practice for years. It was like having a knife turned in my stomach day after day. The hurt did not subside with the passing of a day or a week or even a month. In fact it seemed as if things went from bad to worse. I had no job and was broke, my wife and I lost a baby (it would have been our first), and a family member of my wife’s passed away. It just seemed as life was kicking me again and again when I already felt horrible.

Finally, however, it seemed as if there was a bright spot that opened up. A good job opportunity came about in place Wyoming. My wife and I would have to move from Colorado Springs to make it work, and wrestling would have to be put on hold. I was excited that I would be able to provide for my family, but sad that I would need to put wrestling on the back burner. We moved to Evanston and I went to work. The first days were extremely challenging waking up at three a.m. to get ready for work and then not returning home until nine at night sometimes working all through the night. The hours provided me an opportunity to start to make some financial progress, but my wrestling training was zero. I kind of forgot about wrestling and just kept on working. It was easier to just give it up and to move on with my life. I was starting to plan my future with my job. I would work for years, have some kids, and just bury what happened at the Olympic Trials. In all honesty, I was ready to give up wrestling entirely and move on.

However, moving on is a funny thing. There are some things that just trigger something that is so engrained and so deep in your soul that you just can’t ignore it. One morning that I had off from work I was online and I started watching some wrestling video. I came across this video

As I watched the video I broke down and started sobbing. All of the pain and emotion came back. My heart was being ripped out. My wife held me and just let me cry, in fact I think that she was used to it by now. However, it was in that moment that I decided that I would come back to wrestling and that it didn’t matter how long it would take or what I would have to do, but I would put myself in a situation where I could move back to Colorado Springs and start training again to not only make an Olympic team but to win the Olympic Games. I cannot live my life wondering what could of happened if I gave it another shot. I can’t live as a quitter. I realize that I failed before, but I am human and sometimes we fail. But, just because I failed does not mean that I will give up. I will
succeed!

So here I am. I am still working in Wyoming, but I am trying to mount any resources that I have to raise the funds so that I can train for another Olympic cycle. I am working at my job, I am setting up camps and clinics, and I am looking for sponsors to support my dream. There are so many people that have helped me in the past and I am so grateful for that. Nothing that I accomplished in the past would have been possible if it weren’t for those people who helped me. Thank you for your support, and if you can help in anyway or know of someone who can I would greatly appreciate it. I am coming up with a sponsor package and t-shirt design for all of those interested. My goal is to be back in Colorado by
February 16^th of this year so that I can train for and compete in the World Team Trials and World Championships this year, but it all depends on the success of my fundraising efforts. It may take longer, but regardless of when it happens, it will happen. Once again thank you for you support. Keep checking back for updates.

Fight for your dreams,

Justin