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When wrestlers hit the mats for a match
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it’s just one athlete
pitted against the other.
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But the two Demon wrestlers
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who qualified for this
year’s state tournament
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say they couldn’t have done it
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without the help of their
teammates and coaches.
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Seniors Jake Fenberg
and Samantha Velasquez
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qualified to compete in
the State wrestling finals
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in Pueblo on March 13th.
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And while both had disappointing finishes
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their wrestling careers were anything but.
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Velasquez was the first ever Demon
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to compete in the first ever
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Colorado High School Activities
Association sanctioned
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girls wrestling tournament,
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where she finished in fifth place.
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But before this year, she
wrestled with the boys.
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I have five older brothers
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and they wrestled the year before me.
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And I was just kind of like,
I want to wrestle, mom.
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And she was like, no, you
don’t need to wrestle.
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So then she’s like, well, wait a year
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and if you still want to do it, you can.
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I started about second grade
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and I just kind of like fell
in love with it ever since.
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With her many years of experience,
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Velasquez qualified three times
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for the state tournament
winning one first place
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and another second place
spot on the podium.
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So Samantha has understood the sport
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and been doing it for a really long time.
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And so I think as a coach
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what I wanted to do in
coaching her was not reshape
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or reform anything that she does,
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but try and compliment
all of the strengths
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that she already had.
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And just work on little tiny, fine things
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that the only difference is
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as I grew up in a different place.
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And so my perspective as a coach
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is the thing that’s valuable.
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She’s a very, very solid wrestler
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who understands the sport well.
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There’s actually quite a
bit of mental to wrestling
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because like I’ve lost the
match just from thinking
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about who I’m wrestling before.
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And like, it can happen
to anyone I guess like,
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if you think you’re going to
lose the match, then you are.
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But if you go in it with a
bias action or bias mindset
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then you’ll be able to
either win your match
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or learn from what that match taught you.
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Both Velasquez and Fenberg have been part
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of a growing program that has
not only expanded in numbers,
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but in team spirit from both
players and volunteer coaches
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under the leadership of
head coach, Robert Finiseth.
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Our team camaraderie is
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a whole different level than
it was when I was a freshman.
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It’s amazing we have
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almost 40 people out on the wrestling mat.
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Whereas when I was a
freshman, we only had eight.
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And also now that the season’s done
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for everybody on the team
but me and Sammy Vasquez.
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There’s my two practice
partners are still coming in
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even though they’re supposed to be done.
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And they’ll drilling with
me every day until State
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which is really awesome with them.
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And I’m really grateful to them.
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This team has been so supported
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by the group of coaches
that have come together.
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We’ve got six or seven coaches now
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from various schools in their area.
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Many of them, all of them were wrestlers
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had various experiences.
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Some of us are lightweight,
some of us are bigger guys
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and each of these
coaches has come together
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bringing different aspects
or talents to the team.
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None of us could have done
it independently very well.
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That’s been really cool.
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Jake Fenberg’s dad and
coach, Moss Fenberg,
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introduced his son to wrestling
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when Jake was in the fourth grade.
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A wrestler himself, Dr. Fenberg
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says he enjoyed the
physicality of the sport
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and spending time with
his son over the years.
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Jake admits he didn’t always appreciate
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the training that was required
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or that wrestlers didn’t
always have that cool factor
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that other athletes enjoyed.
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But Jake says his perseverance,
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and his father’s support
were well worth the effort
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because the lessons he
learned will stay with him
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for the rest of his life.
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Well, it’s a lot of training and,
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but as I’ve been wrestling
since I was in fourth grade
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and I was always getting
better, but these last two years
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I really started to understand
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like why these moves are working
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and how like all this
training is coming together
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to build me up and make me stronger.
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And I mean, now it’s like shaped who I am.
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It’s a huge part of me is wrestling.
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And my dad’s the one that got
me there and kept me going.
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Thanks for watching this
edition of the Demon Spotlight.
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I’m Wendy Graham Settle.
