For some kids, childhood horseplay and living-room wrestling matches are things that never get old.
Junior Josh Holforty was one of those kids.
A wrestler since first grade, the kinesiology major of Blooming-ton, Minn., said he still likes to wrestle with his siblings at home.
“I get to try new moves on them,” he said with a laugh. “Even today, I go home and I wrestle, push my sister around.. It’s kind of my way of showing some affection.”
But the longtime wrestler, who was no stranger to the football or track team in high school, said his affection for wrestling hasn’t always been strong. In the past, he said, injuries and times of self doubt hampered his wrestling career and almost took him away from the sport.
“It’s been close, I’ve been close to saying, ‘I’m done with wrestling,’ but there’s never been a time when I gave it up,” he said.
Josh said that, thanks to the support from his family and his faith in God, he has ben able to overcome times when he questioned his own dedication to wrestling.
And while Josh said he owes his continued perseverance to many people, he and his mother agree that his relationship with Jesus Christ has been a particularly instrumental part of his life.
“I’ve always taken them to church,” said Jackie Holforty, Josh’s mother. “That’s always been a big part of our life, but he kind of took it upon himself in high school.”
Christianity didn’t fully hit home for Josh until late in eleventh grade, when a church youth retreat helped him realize that he could use his athletic talents to worship God.
“The Lord’s blessed me with talents that I want to honor him with,” Josh said, adding he sees wrestling and athletics in general as a means of worship.
But just as important as Josh’s faith has been the support he has received from his family. Josh said his parents provided an almost-perfect balance of supportive encouragement and discipline to keep him working hard on the mat, which, like his faith, kept him from leaving the sport.
But his dedication to wrestling hasn’t come without cost; Josh has had to make several sacrifices – some very recently – to continue his athletic career.
Prior to this year, Josh had been a two-sport athlete at UW-Eau Claire; in the fall, he played on the football team before beginning the wrestling season in the winter.
Focusing on two sports simultaneously, however, took its toll on Josh, who said he left the football team this season after being “overwhelmed” the previous three years.
It was a decision that Jackie Holforty said her son struggled with, but one that she said has made Josh happier in the long run.
“I know that fall, he was pretty lost, I think. He missed (football), but then he knew that it was for the best,” she said. “But now with wrestling starting, I can see that he is much more focused and much happier.”
Josh agreed, saying the difference between this year and the previous three has been “night and day.”
“The transition from football to wrestling is so difficult, and to get your weight down and then to compete right away – it’s tough on your body and mind,” he said. “So being able to be in the wrestling room right from Day 1 and to train from Day 1, I feel like leaps and bounds ahead of where I’ve been in the past.”