Wade Vance recently accomplished a feat that no Skyline wrestler has done in the last two years-placing in the West Valley tournament.
Vance’s win was made even more spectacular because just a week before the big event, he finally came back from a shoulder injury which had occurred during practice at the beginning of the season.
“It felt good to know that I can still compete,” said Vance. “It boosted my confidence up.”
Vance originally became interested in wrestling in the fifth grade when a teacher talked about the school’s wrestling program. That summer, he made sure that he watched the wrestling events in the Olympics, even if they were on at five in the morning.
Vance actually started wrestling in the sixth grade and he never stopped from that point on, competing during all four of the years he attended Hillsdale High School. He is currently ranked the highest in his weight class in all of Northern California.
“What I like about wrestling is the competition,” said Vance. “You get in the best shape of your life.”
Vance says that he practices for two hours a day, Monday through Friday. Additionally, during his own free-time, Vance runs anywhere from two to five miles once or twice a week. He also enjoys surfing.
Vance considers his greatest strength to be his ability to create scramble situations, meaning that he can manipulate a situation that should have been beneficial to his adversary to instead become advantageous for him. He is very good at improvising during matches.
But Vance’s coach, James Haddon, who has been working with him since last spring, sees something else in him.
“Wade’s greatest attributes are his athleticism and his strong mental focus,” said Haddon. “I’ve coached many great athletes but many of them couldn’t hold it together mentally. It is useless to have physical abilities if you don’t have the mental aspect.”
During practice, Vance works on his stance and setups for shots as well as leg-riding defense. These are the aspects of wrestling that he feels he needs to work on the most.
Vance said that he admires his coaches more than anyone else in wrestling.
“They give me the support and confidence I need in order to compete,” said Vance.
Vance plans to continue with wrestling after Skyline but only if he can get a scholarship to a local university with a good wrestling program, such as Cal Poly. Other potential colleges that have wrestling programs include San Francisco State and Menlo College. He is hoping to earn scholarships by doing well in the annual state tournament to attract attention from scouts.
With a supportive coaching staff, his natural physical abilities and a strong drive to succeed, Vance is bound to enjoy continued success as a wrestler here at Skyline and beyond.
