Virginia's 197lber Brent Jones
The University of Virginia's NCAA Qualifier Brent Jones is a great new addition to the D1CW blog series. He is a returning ACC Champion and one of the building blocks for an up and coming Cavalier wrestling program. Brent is a senior who is looking to climb onto the podium at the NCAA Championships for the first time.
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Hey everyone,
There has been a lot going on since I posted last. The last time I posted was going into Thanksgiving. With the Northeast Duals on the horizon we had to train right through the feast that brings people together. However this did not stop our celebrations of the holiday, Coach Garland ordered us a catered meal by one of the most popular downtown restaurants, but the feast had to be earned. We first had to complete a grueling practice in order to walk out the doors of the wrestling room and into a little touch of food heaven. The food was great, but that was all on a Tuesday, so there was plenty of practice left to be had. While the rest of school was at home with their families, we were rising to the challenge coach put forth in the wrestling room. When the actual Thanksgiving Day came around, we were left with one practice and the rest of the day off. Needless to say, we couldn’t go without Thanksgiving Dinner 2. Chris Henrich, Calvin Cardillo, Karim Shafi, and I decided to make a Turduken. Yes, sounds weird, but it tastes amazing. It took us 6 hours to cook this mountain of meat that included sausage inside a duck, the duck inside a chicken, and the chicken inside a turkey. After we were finally satisfied with our Thanksgiving meals, we had to reluctantly head back to practice and a major tournament.
The Journeymen Northeast Duals are a major chance for our team to show what we have. Some of the best teams on the East Coast and across the country show up to get a little competition. It is here where the national spotlight is not only set on yourself but on the program you represent. I would like to say that we represented our program very well against Sacred Heart, Central Michigan, and Hofstra. We wrestled the most dominating I have ever seen on top. This was a pillar of our program that we have been putting countless hours of work into, and it finally got the showing it deserves. We had some guys come up very big for us as well. Danny Gonsor, who has been plagued with injuries, came up with a technical fall over one of the top wrestlers in the country. Ross Gitomer, coming off a season ending injury, wrestled up a weight and completely dominated like he hadn’t missed a step. Those are just some of the few that took a big step up that mountain to greatness, carrying with them the heart of our program. I wrestled well myself, but it was watching my teammates thrive under the national spotlight that pushed me to replicate the show they just preformed. It just shows you that no matter what happens, if you work hard and you have the drive to make it up the mountain of success, it will happen. Only you can limit your voyage, not someone standing in your way saying you can’t or giving you excuses why you wont be good. You have to find it within yourself to take the next step in stride.
The next couple of weeks would prove to be arduous at the least with school, but yet again an escape would be found in wrestling. As finals neared, more was expected out of us in the wrestling room as well in the classroom. Academics are something to pride yourself on, so you must hold your competitive spirit when it comes to the books as well. When things get overwhelming in the classroom, it is only healthy to seek a release. Mine is on the mat. I saw the Penn State Open as a great way to not only get away from the books, but to potentially find myself again on the mat. It is often a load to carry on your shoulders when a dual comes down to your win, but in a tournament there is no pressure what so ever. It is just you, your opponent, and an opportunity to have fun. Never let the fun slip out of wrestling. We all love this sport so much that fun can get overlooked while training for success. When you feel yourself doing this, you have to take a step back and recapture the euphoria that we get from just strapping up our boots, knowing that a battle lies ahead in which the outcome doesn’t really matter when you can smile after. I found myself in that tournament and allowed the fun to carry over into finals.
As we go into Christmas, I have one thing I want to leave you with. When I was going through a rough time with battling two fronts, school and wrestling, I found a little good in the bad that was before me and suddenly nothing seemed unconquerable. My mother gave me a small gift one day saying. “I saw this and it made me think of how fitting it is for you!” I opened the gift, and it was a small bottle of cologne entitled “All American.”
Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah everyone,
Brent Jones
197 UVA
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It has been quite a journey since I stepped on the mat at the 2009 NCAA championships. The off season was a time of intense training and competition. Although it was very tough, there is nothing more fun than getting to wrestle at the highest level. I spent most of my off season training for, and competing in, the 2009 World Team Trials. The main goal of my training was to get bigger and stronger. How can I complain about having to eat more, and lift more? It was a lot of fun. Coach Garland put together a great 3 week training camp for me that allowed me to travel and train with the best wrestlers in the area. Although our goals were not met at the 2009 World Team Trails, it was the experience and improvement in finishing in the top 6, making all the difference. During the off season, I also got to take my teammate and All- American Chris Henrich out to the training center for the world team training camp in August. Of course we got the best training in the world with the best guys we have, but we also got to cross train in the local mountain trails of the “garden of the gods” and the “incline.” (check our website Cavalier Wrestling Club for details on the trip) The off season is sometimes taken lightly by many, but for me it is the onset of a new season and dream of reaching the Olympics someday. Freestyle wrestling and competition in the off season is by far the best way to prepare you for the collegiate season approaching.
Preseason at the University of Virginia is not something to take lightly. There is no let down of intensity when your at a program who’s goals become the essence that drives you to run harder up the mountain of success. It is not about how hard the practice is or how light it is, it is about consistently pushing yourself through your perceived limits. The arduous task of completing your last preseason as a college athlete is a bizarre season, but it sure does make you appreciate a lot of things. Things like the unity and importance of your teammates in your quest to be a champion, as well as keeping your sanity outside of wrestling. Last semester I took 21 credits, worked at the hospital, and wrestled. The only way to keep your mind from unhinging is your teammates and wrestling. Your wrestling family is your best means of getting away from reality and actually enjoying yourself. This semester I am not taking as many credits, but being with my team is still the best way I know how to have fun. They have been with you when things have been both good and bad. They go through everything you do. They have the same goals in both wrestling and life as you do. Teammates and coaches make the hard seem effortless when it comes to striving for excellence. With that in mind, a hard preseason at the University of Virginia is expected and accepted.
After enduring a preseason for the ages, it is finally time to compete. The first week of competition was not an easy one for me. I had to battle through unexpected pains and obstacles. I got a case of the swine flu and back muscle pains that kind of came out of nowhere. When dealing with these issues, I found myself referring to a common theme. There is always something good in the bad; you just have to look harder for it. I found that the sickness allowed me to finally rest, somehow took my back muscle pain away, and clear my mind for the upcoming season. I wrestled the first competition still sick, but I did manage to set the school career pins record.
The second week of competition found me more healthy and ready for our team to take another step up the mountain of success. We traveled down to the ACC challenge to face Bucknell, #16 American, and Gardner Webb. We wrestled well enough to win all three and beat a ranked opponent for the first time in school history, but the competition was a measuring tool to inform us of the work we still need to do. The good in the bad here was that we got better with every match. It’s still early in the season and our weaknesses are still present, but it’s ok. Our coaches are making sure they diminish quickly and we know what we need to do to take that next step. That’s the beauty of life; even the best can always improve in everything they do. It’s still early in the season, but we are eager to showcase our program in March.
Thanks for reading,
Brent Jones
UVA 197