Whether running through the trails around Marquette, Mich. or working out hard in the wrestling room, USOEC Greco-Roman wrestlers have a challenging but rewarding life. Photos courtesy of the U.S. Olympic Education Center

How can you put a title on an athlete’s lifestyle such as this one?  I am sure that every single Greco wrestler who has been through the United States Olympic Education Center program or is currently training in the program agrees that it is an experience like no other.  

There are a plethora of reasons for why this is agreed upon, whether it is an addiction to the beautiful landscape, the intense day-to-day training, the many successes that are gained, or simply the camaraderie that is gained from a band of brothers enduring the hardships and happiness of their lives together.

To start off, the city of Marquette, Michigan is unique from any other place.  When the weather is warm enough, one of the most popular spots to be is on the lakeshore beach or jumping into the water from a number of trails for hiking, biking. So many pictures have been taken at the top of these trails because of how breathtaking the view is. This alone is a reason for anyone to live here.

The beautiful landscape may speak for itself, but when it’s time for training, the wrestlers get down to business. Many people have said that wrestlers are a different breed of people. This is true, only for the ones who choose to be champions.  

The USOEC wants wrestlers who are willing to give everything they have, every single workout. The people who choose to do this will become champions. 

USOEC wrestlers start off their week with an early Monday morning technique session at 6:45 a.m. After this, the student-athletes attend their classes at Northern Michigan University throughout the day, only to end the day with an intense practice session at 4:15 p.m.  

On Tuesdays and Fridays, technique sessions are replaced with half of a day to recover so that they can finish the week out just as strong as they started. On these mornings, the wrestlers crosstrain. It may be soccer one time and ultimate Frisbee the next time. This still allows for competitiveness while gaining recovery off of the mat. Days like these are also key days for focusing on conditioning. Once these workouts are finished, wrestlers have the rest of the day off.  

When Saturday comes around, it switches between really tough mat workouts, to light mat workouts, running, or anything else that the coaches have in mind – usually for about an hour. Sometimes the workout is even a swimming workout. 

Along with the optional session on Wednesday night, there is a yoga session every Saturday morning workout. This helps wrestlers stretch out, cool down, and prepare for their day and a half of recovery before the next week comes around. If each person puts a hundred percent of their effort into everything they do in their training, great success will come.

Finally, if not for any other reason, any Greco-Roman wrestler would thrive in an environment such as the USOEC because of the camaraderie that is built there. No one else knows that it is like to endure such a rigorous training schedule except for the wrestlers that go through it together.  This creates a bond that is very hard to find in life.  

Many wrestlers have time to go hiking, camping, swimming, and do a lot  more outdoor activities on the weekends. Times like these are when these athletes get the have a lot of fun with each other off the mat, and really get to know each other.  

The term “band of brothers” is a great way to describe the Greco team here at the USOEC because having this schedule as a lifestyle really says something about those who push through it.  If any Greco wrestler out there believes that he has the will and determination to become a champion, then the USOEC is the right place to be.

Please see the website for additional information about the USOEC and Northern Michigan University at http://usoec.nmu.edu or email Head Coach Rob Hermann at rhermann@nmu.edu. 

This story is written by Aaron Runzo of Virginia Beach, Va., a freshman studying sports science at Northern Michigan University, and one of the talented Greco-Roman wrestlers in the USOEC program.

Aaron Runzo biography