Ronnie Bresser of Oregon scores an impressive takedown in preliminary action at the ASICS/Vaughan Cadet Freestyle Nationals in Fargo, N.D. (John Sachs photo).

For Ronnie Bresser, wrestling isn’t about the medals. It isn’t about the spotlight. It isn’t about the awards or even the wins.

For him, wrestling is about training hard, getting tough matches and giving back to the wrestling community.

“I want to help out younger kids who are wrestling,” said Bresser, a 16 year old from Klamath Falls, Oregon.  “Giving back to the sport is important, and I would like to be a coach someday.”

When talking to the incredibly humble Ronnie Bresser, it is hard to tell that you are talking to a wrestler ranked by Trackwrestling.com as one of the top three percent of the nation.

“I don’t think he really cares that much about all that stuff,” Bresser’s father and coach Ron Bresser said.  “Ronnie is about the training.  He knows he has bigger things to accomplish.”

Ronnie is back in Fargo this year looking for another big accomplishment.  After already winning the Cadet Folkstyle National Championship at 98 pounds in April and the Cadet Greco-Roman National Championship at 98 pounds on Monday, he is after one of wrestling’s coveted awards: the Cadet Triple Crown.

What Ronnie has left to do is win the Cadet Freestyle National Championship at 105 pounds on Friday, the event which he won last year at 98 pounds.  However, the elder Bresser does not believe that his son is all that concerned about the honor.

“I think it [the Triple Crown] means very little to him,” said Ron Bresser.  “He understands that for him it is just a chance to wrestle up a weight class and get some tougher matches in.”

Ronnie’s opinion on earning the Triple Crown was strikingly similar to his father’s.

“It would be a great chance to represent Oregon in that fashion,” said Ronnie.  “But it is just about working hard and seeing that payoff in the end.”

Ronnie’s hard work paid large dividends earlier in the year when he won the Oregon State Championship at 103 pounds as a sophomore for Henley High School.  Throughout the season, Ronnie piled up an extremely impressive record of 38-0.

This dedication and work ethic is something that can be traced way back to when Ronnie was two years old and was wrestling around with his older brother Zechariah who is a year older.

“Since Zech was bigger than Ronnie he has always had a natural training buddy,” said Ron Bresser.  “He understands the wear and tear of wrestling bigger kids.”

Father Ron could not be more accurate about that.  When Ronnie was six years old he weighed in for the Reno Tournament’s lightest weight class, 40 pounds, at 29.1 pounds and incredibly won the title.

“There were about 3,000 wrestlers there,” Ron Bresser said.  “It was amazing that he was able to do what he did.”

So it seems only natural that Ronnie Bresser would be wrestling heavier opponents in this year’s Cadet Freestyle National Championships at 105 pounds.  Another thing that has not changed about Ronnie’s career is the fact that his family has always been there.

Not only is his father one of his coaches, but his brother, Zechariah, also wrestles for the Oregon National Team competing at 112 pounds.

“They really enjoy traveling together,” said Ron Bresser.  “Ronnie always makes time for family, and understands the pecking order: church, family and then wrestling.”

Ronnie acknowledges that having his dad for a coach has created no conflict of interest for either of them.

“We got the separation of the father/son thing when I’m on the mat,” said Ronnie.  “He is always there to support me and I owe a lot of my success to him.”

However, Ron Bresser has it harder than his son.

“The situation would be easier if Ronnie wasn’t as committed as he was,” said Ron Bresser.  “I have five kids, so at times there is a conflict of interests.  Ronnie is always training hard and deserves the chances he gets.”

Ronnie is committed to wrestling in a way that expands upon competing.  Ronnie loves to teach and coach youth wrestling.

“He could run a daycare,” said Ron Bresser with a grin.  “After he gets done practicing at the high school, he goes right to the middle school to help coach and teach and then goes to the youth club to do the same thing.”

Ronnie’s commitment to training the youth might just be his favorite part about the sport, even over competing.

“I love coaching and teaching kids,” said Ronnie Bresser.  “Giving back to the sport is very important to me.”

While Ronnie may be years away from being a paid coach, he does have other goals in his views.

“I want to go to Arizona State University and wrestle,” said Ronnie.

The goal of wrestling collegiately is one of the main reasons that Ronnie often wrestles in heavier weight classes.

“College coaches don’t want a 98 pounder,” said Ron Bresser.  “He knows he has more to accomplish and that by moving up a weight class he will get more quality matches and show he can wrestle with bigger guys.”

That task will certainly be put to the test in a highly competitive 105 pound bracket that includes the 105 pound Cadet Greco-Roman National Champion Darian Cruz of Pennsylvania.

But this is no news to Ronnie, who acknowledged that, “you don’t have an easy match in Fargo.”

At the end of the day on Friday for Ronnie Bresser, whether he achieves the Triple Crown or not, it will always be about the training rather than the award.

“At most tournaments, he will get off the podium, sign his medal and give it to a little kid,” said Ron Bresser.

Some may remember Ronnie Bresser as a National Champion, a State Champion or potentially the Triple Crown winner.  But to Ronnie, all those things come second to the church, to his family and to his dedication to training hard.