University of Minnesota Athletics
In Focus; Gopher Senior All-American Chad Erikson
2/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
Don't take it personally. Don't walk away, saying, "Hmmph, what a jerk." He's not ignoring you or trying to insult you in any way. You see, Erikson is what his family, coaches and teammates call "focused." It's not that he's uninterested in talking to you; it's just that he's giving his full attention to the issue at hand - his next opponent, his strategy, his path to victory.
His dad, Scott, is used to it. He doesn't question when Chad seems to be ignoring his parents on days of meets or tournaments. This "phenomenon of focus" has been going on for some time now with Chad. "He's focused on the mat," Scott said. "He's there for one thing - to wrestle. He's just a very focused kid. He's been that way since he was little. On days when we needed to travel to camps or tournaments, he'd always be up and ready to go at least a half-hour before [Cindy and I] were ready."
In the past five seasons, the coaching staff has learned what type of guy Chad Erikson is on competition days. It's to the point now where they don't even notice how focused the Apple Valley, Minn., native is before his match. No one bats an eye if he doesn't speak up in team meetings. It's par for the course for the senior All-American.
"He's just a real focused guy," assistant coach Mark Schwab said. "Erikson is kind of away from the group on days he's wrestling. He does his own thing. Sometimes you don't know where he is. He's like atmosphere. At first, you don't notice him, but then, boom!, he's there. It's a lot like his style of wrestling."
Erikson knows that sometimes his undivided attention to his upcoming match may rub people the wrong way, but that's just the way he is. People that know him well enough understand that he has a one-track mind on competition days.
"I think it's hard for my parents sometimes," Erikson explained. "Some of the guys talk to their family at meets and tournaments. But I'm there for one reason - to wrestle and compete. I tend to stay to myself. I'm pretty focused on what I need to do that day."
It's that focus that has driven Erikson through the highs and the lows of his career at the University of Minnesota. A four-time state high school champion, Erikson came to Gold Country with impeccable credentials - Minnesota's 1997 Mr. Wrestling, a 1997 high school All-American, a member of three state championship teams, and the list goes on.
"I've always been on a successful team," Erikson said. "It's true what they say, `success breeds success.' I've always been on a team in the top spot, so I expect to win; I expect to be on top."
Those expectations were met to a point in his early Golden Gopher career. Following a redshirt year, he joined the starting lineup but failed to make it to the NCAA Tournament in his first two seasons due to some bad luck and untimely injuries.
Nonetheless, Erikson wrestled the 2000-01 season with a newfound dedication to meet his goals of helping Minnesota to the top of the wrestling world, and, along the way, earning All-America honors. He proceeded to put together a spectacular season, capping it off with a runner-up finish at Big Tens and an eighth-place, All-America finish at the national tournament. He and all of his supporters breathed a sigh of relief, for though the road was bumpy, Erikson accomplished one of his goals.
"It was huge to finally get over the hump and become an All-American," Erikson said. "Of course I wanted to place higher, but mentally it was a huge thing for me. I think it just shows how strong a program we have - to help get me through all the bad luck I had had. But it all made me a stronger wrestler and a stronger person."
Schwab added, "He missed going to NCAAs two years in a row, and both years really were flukes. But last year, it was good for Erikson to be there, wrestling in the tournament that the team won the national title. And for him to become an All-American for the first time was big."
The journey to meeting that goal last season wasn't done solely on the back of Erikson himself. Becoming an All-American took years of hard work and determination to reach the elite level of collegiate wrestling. And none of his success would have happened had Erikson's parents not been there all the time for him. It was Scott, a high school wrestler, who introduced Chad to the sport. When Chad was young, he and his dad would sit and watch WWF wrestling. It was there that the seed began to grow in Chad to try out the sport of (real) wrestling.
"My dad kind of got me into wrestling," Chad recalled. "He and my mom always took me to all the tournaments and camps that helped me get better. They both knew that I had a love for the sport." He added, "Ever since I was really little, they have always done whatever they could to support me. Win or lose, they are always there in support of me."
That support continues today in as strong a fashion as in Chad's younger days. The Eriksons follow their son all over the country, watching him wrestle and always cheering him on. It's something that has certainly not gone unnoticed by Chad.
"Wrestling at home, it's nice to have my family come to every meet," Erikson said. "I'm glad I can have people there that have been around me my whole life. For me, it's an advantage being able to wrestle at home. I have those people there that have watched me my whole life, supporting me on the mat."
Erikson's supporting cast only has a little over a month left to catch the 141-pounder in a Maroon and Gold singlet. Come March 24, Erikson's career as a Golden Gopher is up. What lies beyond wrestling is a strange and mysterious thing to athletes that seem to live and die in the wrestling room. It's no different for Erikson. But like his wrestling persona, Erikson has a focus to his upcoming "real world life."
"I'm going to miss wrestling," Erikson admitted. "For so many years, wrestling has been my life. I've been doing it year-round. At the same time, though, I'm looking forward to having more options as to what to do. I definitely want to get into coaching. First, I'm going to go to grad school and get my teaching certificate. While I'm doing that, I'm going to help out here with the team like some other alumni are doing. Later on, I want to teach P.E. in high school and coach wrestling." Although he has allowed some attention to be diverted to his future, Erikson is still supremely focused on the issue at hand - winning Big Ten and NCAA individual titles.
"I've got one month left wrestling at Minnesota,"Erikson said. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to put together a good tournament in March and end my career in a positive note."
"No steam or gas drives anything until it is confined. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined."
-- Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969), American religious leader
Written by Men's Athletics Wrestling Contact Kevin Kurtt
Don't bother talking to Chad Erikson on days that he's wrestling. Don't even think about trying to carry on a conversation with him in the hours before a meet. You're crazy if you think Erikson is the guy to seek on competition day to ask whether or not those shoes go with those pants. Oh, and please understand that his mouth will utter nary a word in pre-competition team meetings.
Don't take it personally. Don't walk away, saying, "Hmmph, what a jerk." He's not ignoring you or trying to insult you in any way. You see, Erikson is what his family, coaches and teammates call "focused." It's not that he's uninterested in talking to you; it's just that he's giving his full attention to the issue at hand - his next opponent, his strategy, his path to victory.
His dad, Scott, is used to it. He doesn't question when Chad seems to be ignoring his parents on days of meets or tournaments. This "phenomenon of focus" has been going on for some time now with Chad. "He's focused on the mat," Scott said. "He's there for one thing - to wrestle. He's just a very focused kid. He's been that way since he was little. On days when we needed to travel to camps or tournaments, he'd always be up and ready to go at least a half-hour before [Cindy and I] were ready."
In the past five seasons, the coaching staff has learned what type of guy Chad Erikson is on competition days. It's to the point now where they don't even notice how focused the Apple Valley, Minn., native is before his match. No one bats an eye if he doesn't speak up in team meetings. It's par for the course for the senior All-American.
"He's just a real focused guy," assistant coach Mark Schwab said. "Erikson is kind of away from the group on days he's wrestling. He does his own thing. Sometimes you don't know where he is. He's like atmosphere. At first, you don't notice him, but then, boom!, he's there. It's a lot like his style of wrestling."
Erikson knows that sometimes his undivided attention to his upcoming match may rub people the wrong way, but that's just the way he is. People that know him well enough understand that he has a one-track mind on competition days.
"I think it's hard for my parents sometimes," Erikson explained. "Some of the guys talk to their family at meets and tournaments. But I'm there for one reason - to wrestle and compete. I tend to stay to myself. I'm pretty focused on what I need to do that day."
It's that focus that has driven Erikson through the highs and the lows of his career at the University of Minnesota. A four-time state high school champion, Erikson came to Gold Country with impeccable credentials - Minnesota's 1997 Mr. Wrestling, a 1997 high school All-American, a member of three state championship teams, and the list goes on.
"I've always been on a successful team," Erikson said. "It's true what they say, `success breeds success.' I've always been on a team in the top spot, so I expect to win; I expect to be on top."
Those expectations were met to a point in his early Golden Gopher career. Following a redshirt year, he joined the starting lineup but failed to make it to the NCAA Tournament in his first two seasons due to some bad luck and untimely injuries.
Nonetheless, Erikson wrestled the 2000-01 season with a newfound dedication to meet his goals of helping Minnesota to the top of the wrestling world, and, along the way, earning All-America honors. He proceeded to put together a spectacular season, capping it off with a runner-up finish at Big Tens and an eighth-place, All-America finish at the national tournament. He and all of his supporters breathed a sigh of relief, for though the road was bumpy, Erikson accomplished one of his goals.
"It was huge to finally get over the hump and become an All-American," Erikson said. "Of course I wanted to place higher, but mentally it was a huge thing for me. I think it just shows how strong a program we have - to help get me through all the bad luck I had had. But it all made me a stronger wrestler and a stronger person."
Schwab added, "He missed going to NCAAs two years in a row, and both years really were flukes. But last year, it was good for Erikson to be there, wrestling in the tournament that the team won the national title. And for him to become an All-American for the first time was big."
The journey to meeting that goal last season wasn't done solely on the back of Erikson himself. Becoming an All-American took years of hard work and determination to reach the elite level of collegiate wrestling. And none of his success would have happened had Erikson's parents not been there all the time for him. It was Scott, a high school wrestler, who introduced Chad to the sport. When Chad was young, he and his dad would sit and watch WWF wrestling. It was there that the seed began to grow in Chad to try out the sport of (real) wrestling.
"My dad kind of got me into wrestling," Chad recalled. "He and my mom always took me to all the tournaments and camps that helped me get better. They both knew that I had a love for the sport." He added, "Ever since I was really little, they have always done whatever they could to support me. Win or lose, they are always there in support of me."
That support continues today in as strong a fashion as in Chad's younger days. The Eriksons follow their son all over the country, watching him wrestle and always cheering him on. It's something that has certainly not gone unnoticed by Chad.
"Wrestling at home, it's nice to have my family come to every meet," Erikson said. "I'm glad I can have people there that have been around me my whole life. For me, it's an advantage being able to wrestle at home. I have those people there that have watched me my whole life, supporting me on the mat."
Erikson's supporting cast only has a little over a month left to catch the 141-pounder in a Maroon and Gold singlet. Come March 24, Erikson's career as a Golden Gopher is up. What lies beyond wrestling is a strange and mysterious thing to athletes that seem to live and die in the wrestling room. It's no different for Erikson. But like his wrestling persona, Erikson has a focus to his upcoming "real world life."
"I'm going to miss wrestling," Erikson admitted. "For so many years, wrestling has been my life. I've been doing it year-round. At the same time, though, I'm looking forward to having more options as to what to do. I definitely want to get into coaching. First, I'm going to go to grad school and get my teaching certificate. While I'm doing that, I'm going to help out here with the team like some other alumni are doing. Later on, I want to teach P.E. in high school and coach wrestling." Although he has allowed some attention to be diverted to his future, Erikson is still supremely focused on the issue at hand - winning Big Ten and NCAA individual titles.
"I've got one month left wrestling at Minnesota,"Erikson said. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to put together a good tournament in March and end my career in a positive note."
"No steam or gas drives anything until it is confined. No life ever grows great until it is focused, dedicated, disciplined."
-- Harry Emerson Fosdick (1878-1969), American religious leader
Written by Men's Athletics Wrestling Contact Kevin Kurtt
