How I Became a Tactical Academic Athlete

Image Credits: Author | 2000 Olympic Champion: Rulon Gardner (L) | 2001 US Nationals | April 13, 2001 | Las Vegas, Nevada

Before I pursued my dream career position in the Fire Service, my original dream was to represent our Country as an Olympic Hopeful for the sport of Greco-Roman wrestling. I spent the majority of my childhood and early adult life preparing for the opportunity to be a member of Team USA Wrestling. I started my athletic career in the dojo, studying the martial sciences. At the early age of six, I was enrolled in my local martial arts academy, the Corning Judo & Jujitsu Academy, where I studied martial science and was a member of the American Judo & Jujitsu Federation, Inc.

My sensei, Nick Labarthe, at the Corning Judo & Jujitsu Academy instilled in me the importance of hard work and discipline from a very early age. I respected the art of the martial sciences and the concept of mastering the craft. I was instructed in both English and Japanese. I was required to know the pronunciation and spelling of every technique in both English and Japanese before being awarded the promotion to each belt, and I achieved this through hard work, preparation, and mastery of the martial arts.

I continued participating in athletics throughout middle school and high school. While in middle school, I discovered the correlation between the martial sciences and the sport of folk-style wrestling. I received the opportunity to travel with the Junior National Team from California to Atlanta, Georgia, the location of the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, two weeks before the opening ceremonies. Our team from California was comprised of several soon-to-be Junior World Champions in the sport of Wrestling. Several years later, in our collegiate years, several of us became NCAA National Champions, Olympic Medalists, and Ultimate Fighting Championship stars. My teammates were: Stephen Abas, Kyle Bunch, Danny Felix, Matt Evans, Steve Strange, Steve Schenk, Mark Munoz, Clint Wattenburg, Nick Kindred, and Billy Blunt.

My first professional Greco-Roman match as an Olympic Hopeful was in 1999 at the USA Wrestling National Championships in Las Vegas, Nevada. As fate would have it, I drew the #1 seeded Greco-Roman wrestler in the Country, Shawn Sheldon, and he was the top wrestler in my weight class in the World.

Participating in the US Nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada, for several years, I would consistently draw the top #1 or #2 wrestler in my weight class each year from 2001 to 2003. In 2003, I went up a weight class and I drew the #2 wrestler in the 60 kg weight class, and at the time, five-time US Military Champion and Olympic Alternate, Glenn Nieradka.

To be the best at any competitive sport, you must compete with the best athletes in the World.
by Christopher Baker

Glenn was a USA Wrestling National Champion in 1999 and 2002, and he was named to the National Team for eight consecutive years. He was an Olympic alternate in 2000 and won nine Armed Forces Titles.

Funny Story from the West Regional Olympic Team Trials Qualifier: I talked with Urijah Faber at this wrestling tournament before he became famous as "The California Kid" with the Ultimate Fighting Championship. I think I said, "It's a small world, Urijah when two 'Cali Kids' are wrestling at the same tournament in Battleground, Washington State."

As an Olympic Hopeful, I traveled all over the World practicing and mastering the craft of Greco-Roman wrestling. Countless hours were spent in practice while attending College. I was able to participate in NCAA Division III sports due to my academic achievements in the classroom and my success in collegiate wrestling. Early morning workouts before class and afternoon wrestling sessions at the end of class were how I spent my college years. I also worked full-time after wrestling practice at Costco Wholesale at their Corporate Buying Office in Issaquah, Washington State, to pay for my college expenses. If you want to know the dedication it takes to achieve greatness, you must apply yourself in every aspect of your life. In those early years, I knew the importance of time management.

I was blessed with the opportunity to wrestle beyond college with Team Washington State (2002-2004) under USA Wrestling Gold Level Coach Larry Gibson. Coach Gibson was inducted by the Washington State Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1995 and received the Medal of Courage award in 2009.

I was fortunate and blessed to achieve two State Championship titles as a professional athlete for the Greater Gold Wrestling Club, under the guidance of 2000 Olympic Champion and Head Coach Brandon Slay. The highest accomplishment I received in my Greco-Roman wrestling career was at the 2003 Amateur Athletic Union of the United States, Inc. (AAU) Grand National Championships at the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia; I finished as the 2003 (AAU) National Runner-up in Greco-Roman wrestling. For over 16 years, I lived, breathed, and was consumed by the sport of wrestling. Wrestling was my entire life. On June 1st, 2004, after competing in the AAU Ironman World Championships in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, I retired from wrestling and my professional career as an academic athlete.

When I began my fire service career, I discovered the correlation between my journey in the martial arts and my athletic wrestling background in the fire service. The same work ethics instilled in me as a martial arts student by my sensei were also applicable in the field of public safety. The same concept of mastering the craft in Greco-Roman wrestling was also relevant in firefighting. I spent almost my entire life as an athlete and Olympic Hopeful before my fire service career. As a professional athlete, I knew the importance of practice, hard work, and dedication.