GHS wrestler Hunter Collins is focused on becoming the national
champ during his last two years of school
n By Brian Babcock Staff Writer
Gilroy – Hunter Collins is keeping himself busy.
With wrestling not in season until November, the upcoming Gilroy High School junior has thrown on the pads and will be lining up as an outside linebacker for the school’s football team. But no one should question his love of wrestling.
“I’m a wrestler who plays football,” Collins said.
Collins said he just returned to town last week after wrestling in the nationals in Fargo, N.D. He made it through some tough competition, at one point beating Chris Perry from Oklahoma, a wrestler who had won a match against Collins earlier in the year. Collins made it to the finals, but lost to Romero Cotton. Romero, a wrestler who had placed third in the nationals last year was a double champion this year, winning both in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling.
Collins puts the blame of losing straight on his shoulders. He said he had been using a different style of wrestling – instead of attacking the opponent he sat back and tried to slow the match down. He said he learned what type of wrestler he is from that match and although losing leaves a bad taste in his mouth at least he took something positive from the loss.
“I think you have to learn something from losing,” he said, “or that match was just a complete waste of time.”
But don’t think he’s comfortable with losing.
“I hate losing more than I like winning,” Collins said.
Before heading off to North Dakota, Collins was in Colorado training with the United States Olympic wrestling team. After the team moved on Collins said he would wait in the training room all day until the French or German teams would show up.
Although he understood that these athletes were beyond his talents he knew wrestling with them would make him better – even if they could completely out wrestle him.
“Even if I’m nowhere near the level they are, I’m not going role over for them,” Collins said. “I’m going to put up a fight.”
Hard work is something that Collins has grown up learning. He said he learned to put push himself from his grandfather who has had a big impact on his work ethic.
Armando Gonzalez, the Gilroy High wrestling coach, has said in the past that Collins is one of the most talented wrestlers on the team. Collins accepts the compliment but has his reservations about it.
“I think there’s a fine line between talent and hard work,” he said. “Hard work comes before talent.”
Collins began wrestling when he was 6-years-old after his father tossed the idea out to him after they had begun rolling around and play-fighting in their home. Even though Collins said he immediately loved the sport he said he wasn’t very good at it.
It took about four years, he said, to get to the point where he actually started to win tournaments. It took a lot of dedication and practice to get good, he said.
“If I’m not the hardest working guy in the room then I didn’t do my job that day,” he said.
Now Collins is focused on being the national champ for his last two years in college. After that, he said, it wouldn’t be a surprise to try to make it to the Olympics in 2012.
But for now Collins is taking life like how he takes each match – just one step at a time.
