Living the American Dream-The Road Not Taken

How many of us are truly living the American Dream? Are we simply passing through each day, instead of living it to its fullest? Do we take our US Citizenship for granted? Perhaps the reality of fighting to survive each day forces certain individuals to grow hungry for success. Does the secret of success for some people stem from their upbringing, knowing what their parent(s) sacrificed so they might have opportunity?

Leroy Alitz, a member of the U.S. Wrestling Hall of Fame once said, “ To be a wrestler you have to have the speed of a sprinter, the agility of an acrobat, the strength of a weightlifter, and the strategic mind of a chess player.” These are traits U.S. wrestler Henry Cejudo embodies. He is the only US Wrestler to win gold at the Beijing Olympics, doing so at 55 kilograms (121 lbs). A sport that we have dominated in the past, winning 125 medals, 50 of them gold, saw the U.S. struggle to even medal at the Beijing Olympics. Henry’s success comes at an especially young age (21) and brings important topics to light.

He is the son of illegal immigrants from Mexico, one of seven children born to his mother. His father played no role in his upbringing. Henry's mother served as the provider, working numerous jobs to make sure her family was housed, clothed and fed. “Housed” could have been anywhere depending upon the day, month or year. However, the sense of family that she fostered resulted in her sons’ success.

I say sons’ because it was Henry’s older brother Angel who paved the way for him. Angel won four state championships in Arizona, compiling a record of 150-0. Recognized for his potential by National Freestyle Coach Dave Bennett, the Olympic Training Center (OTC) in Colorado Springs offered Angel the opportunity to come train. He accepted, asking if he could bring his brother Henry along, who was a rising high school junior. It was at the OTC where Henry began training in earnest for international competition and the Olympics. While in Colorado, he added two state championships to go along with the two he won in Arizona. He also collected the Asics National HS wrestler of the year title and the US National Senior Championship in freestyle.

How many of us raised in the United States with every middle class advantage, can even contemplate competing at the Olympic level or at the highest level available for our passion or discipline? Do we grow complacent because we have a roof over our heads and two cars in the garage? Somehow a family with no money, no house in their name, no U.S. athletic history and a single mom found a way to inspire two sons to become world class wrestlers. Cejudo stated, “I’m proud of my Mexican heritage. But I’m American. It’s the best country in the world. They call it the land of opportunity and it is.” Many people argue that Birthright Citizenship should be abolished, that the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution has been misinterpreted. No matter how illegal the parents’ initial entrance was into the United States, this is one family living the American Dream and taking full advantage of the opportunity afforded them via the 14th Amendment. (Correct or incorrect interpretation, depending on to whom you are speaking) Of course Stephen Abas who was the 2004 Silver Medalist in Athens and finished second to Cejudo at the U.S. Trials, may be wishing the Supreme Court had made a ruling on this topic years ago...

It is important to note that Henry and Angel took, as Robert Frost said, "the road not taken” almost ever by traditional American wrestlers. The majority of elite high school wrestlers continue on to college, where they participate in collegiate or folk-style wrestling. Collegiate wrestling is considerably different then the freestyle wrestling found at the international level. Henry’s belief, that forgoing college athletics would help him better prepare for the U.S. Olympic team, appears to have been right on the money. Is Henry’s success a one in a million chance or did the preparation for international wrestling at the OTC prepare him for what is considered the greatest stage in wrestling? (Kick WWF out of your head please!) What kind of precedent does this set for young elite wrestlers coming up the ranks? Will it cause them to forgo traditional college wrestling, pinning their hopes on Olympic and international success? Olympic opportunity only comes once every four years, you must win numerous qualifying matches just to get to the U.S. Olympic trials and if you don’t make the team you must wait another four years. At least in college there is an opportunity to win an NCAA title every year for four years. Although it's not an easy path, you can also attempt to qualify for the Olympics at the same time.

Wrestlers that forgo collegiate wrestling are not going to garner the millions of dollars that Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Tiger Woods gained by going straight to the "pros". According to U.S. National Freestyle Coach Kevin Jackson, the financial breakdown for an Olympic Training Center participant are as follows:
Room and Board $24,000, Club Sponsorship $600 to $1,000 and a 6 month training stipend of $500 to $1,000. A member of the OTC Wrestling team can take home $34,000 to $42,000 for the year and if they are fortunate enough to win an Olympic Gold Medal, they receive a bonus of $65,000. That is all well and good if you are single without a family to support.

Will these elite wrestlers be denying themselves important opportunities and relationships that can only be found at the collegiate level? (It is important to note that a wrestler training at OTC is offered the opportunity to attend college, at cost to the OTC program). Or will they be facing world class competition day in and day out instead? Already the trickle down affect is occurring.
Young Jake Deitchler, an 18 year old who just participated in the Beijing Olympics in Greco-Roman wrestling, announced to the New York Times that he will be heading to the Olympic Training Center. Originally Jake committed to the University of Minnesota and time will tell if his decision was the correct one for his personal success. In the meantime it leaves the University of Minnesota team and coaches with a hole in their roster for this upcoming season. Hopefully, future recruits will decide earlier in the recruiting process so they aren’t affecting a college team two weeks before classes begin.

At the end of the day, Henry Cejudo's performance is especially humbling to those of us who are provided every opportunity for success, but perhaps stuck in the American groove. Henry deserves congratulations for making the most out of opportunities that may never have presented themselves had his parents not illegally entered the United States in search of the American dream. Only the individual can make the choice that he feels is best for him and clearly Henry Cejudo “took the road less traveled and it has made all the difference”.

*special thanks to our inhouse resident wrestling expert, Justin Gorkowski, former West Point wrestling team captain, for all his valuable insight and expertise on wrestling.