It’s a little past 6 p.m. and Armando Gonzalez just finished
working with his advanced Gilroy Hawk wrestlers, who are preparing
for their biggest challenge of the season in the Tournament of
Champions, the equivalent of the state high school finals.
It’s a little past 6 p.m. and Armando Gonzalez just finished working with his advanced Gilroy Hawk wrestlers, who are preparing for their biggest challenge of the season in the Tournament of Champions, the equivalent of the state high school finals.
But Gonzalez’s work day is not over. The regularly scheduled Hawks’ practice is about to begin. Two wrestling mats are rolled out in the Gilroy High School auxiliary gymnasium and aspiring wrestlers of all races and as young as 4 years old are ready to go.
“There is no age limit,” Gonzalez said. “You can wrestle until you’re 40 if you want.”
A short time ago, Gonzalez was at the CIF State High School Wrestling Championships in Bakersfield, coaching his two-time defending Central Coast Section champions from Gilroy High against the best in California.
That’s an afterthought now. Gonzalez shifts his attention from working with the most advanced varsity wrestlers to the youngest group of Hawks, some who have never stepped on the mat.
“It is my passion. When I’m coaching at the high school level and under the magnifying glass, everything is analyzed. There’s a lot of pressure to perform, to be successful,” Gonzalez said.
“It’s refreshing to be able to go back to the grassroots, the babies, the beginners. It really helps for me to laugh at wrestling and enjoy it and remember where I came from,” the coach added. “This is what wrestling is about.”
With a smile on his face and his attention concentrated on the group of first-time Hawks lined up on the edge of the mat, Gonzalez shows them the basic footwork and instructs them to move across the mat in two groups. Spouting out words of encouragement to his young Hawks, Gonzalez knows he’s looking at the future of Gilroy High School.
“It is something I always look forward to. I go back and work with the youngest kids,” said Gonzalez, who lets Varsity Assistant Coach Mike Koester instruct the older wrestlers on the adjacent mat. “I start off at the beginning with my wrestling philosophy and fundamentals from day one that I will still reinforce years later in high school.”
Parents sit along the wall of the gym watching their children learn from a man who has been coaching wrestling every day for the last 13 years – since taking over the storied Gilroy Hawks club team, which was established in 1969.
There was never a plan
“I started out 13 years ago with my 3 year old. I just took him out there to learn how to wrestle and have fun. Things began from there,” Gonzalez said. “My role and dedication to the Gilroy Hawks and the Gilroy community continued to grow. There was never a plan. It’s just something that happened.”
His oldest son, Armando Jr., 15, a three-time junior high Santa Clara County champion, just completed his sophomore season with the Gilroy High varsity squad, where he already has two section titles under his belt as well as qualifying for the state championships both years.
“When I was real small, I was always rolling around and my dad said we’re going to wrestling practice with other kids,” said Armando Jr., who is still a members of the Hawks. “He didn’t have to convince me. I always wanted to wrestle.”
The same went for Gonzalez’s younger son, Martin, 13, a seventh-grader at South Valley Junior. High who is a two-time county champion and one of the more advanced Hawks.
“It’s something I like to do. One thing I like about the sport is that if you mess up, there is no one to blame, but yourself,” said Martin, after finishing his workout in the Gilroy High wrestling room. “I like getting in the gym. It’s just something I do.”
Wrestling is more individualized than most sports. While it does have team components to it, once a wrestler steps on the mat, standing across from his opponent, it’s one-on-one.
“I get frustrated with team sports. Wrestling, you can’t blame anybody, but yourself,” said Armando Jr., who has been practicing with his younger brother for as long as he can remember. “I’ve probably wrestled with him everyday of his life. It’s funny though. Even though we both wrestle with our dad, we have completely different styles.”
Coach starts wrestling at age 5
Coach Gonzalez started wrestling at age 5 when his father took him to a freestyle wrestling club in San Jose, where he grew up and later was a state finalist at James Lick High School.
“I remember coming down and wrestling dual meets against the Gilroy Hawks when I was just a little kid,” said Gonzalez, who started coaching in 1985 with stops at Archbishop Mitty, Independence, San Jose, and James Lick before coming to Gilroy in 1991. “I’ve been a student of the sport ever since I began wrestling, and I still continue to improve and get better at what I do.”
His passion for wrestling remains intact, and that’s why he finds himself back in the local gymnasium volunteering his time passing along his knowledge to the youth of Gilroy.
Gonzalez works full time as an associate construction inspector for the Department of Transportation in San Jose, where he’s been employed for the past 15 years. He is the varsity wrestling coach at Gilroy High School, as well as a full-time parent, but somehow he always finds time for his beloved Hawks.
The club program meets from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, and there are always extra sessions during the week leading up to competition.
“No matter how much you love it, you do get tired,” Gonzalez said. “I don’t miss practices. I don’t miss tournaments. When I think about that, it’s overwhelming. They can always count on me being here, mopping the mats and doing whatever I have to do.”
After working on the proper footwork for a while, Gonzalez has his Hawks pair up and begin to practice some basic takedown moves. Joel Vaca, a former Hawk and Gilroy High wrestler, looks on as his 9-year-old son Kevin and his 12-year-old daughter, Danielle, go through the motions.
“When I get older, I’m going to wrestle with the Hawks,” said Vaca’s 3-year old son, Jacob, sitting next to his dad.
Family tradition
Wrestling has become a family tradition in many Gilroy homes.
Gabriel Gutierrez, 42, got involved with the Hawks back in 1969. Both of his older brothers, Tom and Lupe, were wrestlers. His 16-year old daughter Vanessa became a Hawk and also wrestles at Gilroy High, where she won a league championship this year with the junior varsity team and also an all-girls state title. His 12-year old son Gabriel is in his second year with the Hawks and also wrestles for Brownell Academy.
“It almost seems like it’s in our blood,” said Gabriel, whose nephews all wrestled as well. “I never really pushed it. They just wanted to do it. … The kids just stuck with wrestling and it keeps them busy. They want to get better.”
There is a certain pride in being a Hawk, whether it is continuing a family tradition or being the first to give it a try.
“I like being a Hawk,” said 6-year-old Makaio Duyao, who has been with the club for three years.
Gonzalez gives the same attention to all of his wrestlers. He makes it fun for them to learn the same sport that has consumed most of his life.
“It’s extremely special to have both my sons here. If it wasn’t for my sons, I wouldn’t be doing what we’re doing (with the Hawks). We have an outlet and something I want to share with them with the Gilroy community,” Gonzalez said. “Mando Jr. has grown up with wrestling. Martin has been around wrestling since he was in diapers. It was just a natural thing for them to be wrestlers.”
But even with his two sons on board, Gonzalez does not allow what happens on the wrestling mats to carry over into his home life. Outside of wrestling, he is a regular dad.
“Everything we do with wrestling, we do at wrestling practice,” Gonzalez said. “I like to separate home life from wrestling. When we leave the wrestling room and go home, we don’t talk about it. We wait until we go back to practice.”
If you look around his house, there aren’t any wrestling reminders on the walls. No trophies. No plaques. No awards.
“Our house is our home. It’s not a wrestling shrine,” he said.
Gonzalez makes sure that all his Hawks receive the same amount of attention. The success of his own sons is a result of hard work in the wrestling room. Since Gonzalez is at every practice, his sons are at every practice, while other wrestlers may miss a practice here or there.
“Over the years, my sons will miss a lot less practices than other kids. There’s nothing extra,” Gonzalez said. “They just never miss practices. My sons are there every day because I’m there every day.”
When other kids can’t get to practice for one reason or another, Gonzalez offers to pick them up and take them with him. And when parents can’t afford to pay the registration fees, Gonzalez finds a way for their children to join the club through special scholarships.
That’s dedication. That’s a reflection of the core values associated with being one of the Hawks.
