Wrestling Adversity: Smart Guy Anthony Robles



photo by Wesley Herrera



He remains in the foyer of the gym after his teammates have entered the auditorium. For a brief moment he can’t see anything, all has gone black, the noises has vanished, and the energy of the building seems to be non-existent. There is nothing for Anthony but complete focus on the task at hand and life reflection on how he has arrived at the point to where is now.  He opens his eyes, knowing that it is time for him to enter the auditorium in his very un-traditional style--on crutches. Anthony Robles, 22, the Captain of Arizona State University Wrestling team, who was born without a right hip bone and with only his left leg, clutches his crutches tightly and swiftly makes his way to the mat to where he is set to do battle.

Being born with only one leg could have provided Robles an excuse to ask for and receive pity or special treatment from others. But Robles has never wanted to be treated any differently than anyone else. "I really don't see missing my leg as a handicap,” Robles said. “My parents raised me to be strong and they didn't give me any special treatment. Consequently, I have always believed that I can do anything I set my mind to.”  

That mindset has propelled Robles to accomplish great feats in his young life. He picked up wrestling as a high school freshman after being the practice dummy for his cousins in the eighth grade. He fell in love with the sport and knew at that point, that was what he wanted to do. “When I first started, before my freshman year in high school, I had no interest in wrestling,” Robles explained. “But once I started that first year, I just fell in love with the sport. I knew that I wanted to continue with it and be the best at it that I can possibly be. It went from me trying to be a city champion, to a state champion, and then when I got to college I wanted to be a national champion.”

  

Wrestling is a sport that doesn’t come easy to anyone it takes physical and mental strength to be successful. There are obstacles and a barrier for all wrestlers to accomplish success, and there were even more obstacles for Robles whom wanted to succeed in this individual physical competition while only having one leg. “I think that I went through a lot. When I started doing wrestling I wasn’t very good. I was last in my city. There were not a lot of people behind me. They just didn’t believe that I could be able to achieve successes in wrestling which is what I wanted. I felt like I had to prove a lot of people wrong.”

The physical challenges of wrestling were not the only obstacle that Robles had to overcome. His mother gave birth to him at the age of 16 years old and raised him in a very tough neighborhood.  “I grew up in a neighborhood that wasn’t the best,” Robles said. “There was a lot of trouble going on.  My friends that I grew up with down the street are in jail right now.”To get through those socioeconomic challenges, Robles channeled his attentions and energy on the things that was going to get him to his ultimate goal of becoming the best wrestler that he could be.  “In order to do that I had to look past my obstacles and not focus on them,” Robles continued. “I just had to focus on my goal, which was to be a National Champion Wrestler. Really, wrestling is what carried me through. I put so much focus on my wrestling that it was pretty much all I did all summer. I was always in the wrestling room; always training, always trying to get better and better and it eventually paid off. Wrestling has been my life for 9 years now, it has been my focus and I am just very grateful and happy that all the hard work paid off and that I finally made it to the top.”

photo by Jason Wise

Anthony believes that what makes him a 'Smart Guy' and what he shares with other 'Smart Guys' is the ability to thrive in the face of adversity. Whatever life throws at you, take it in stride. He advises everyone that if you have a goal in mind stick with it and stay positive about it. Tell yourself that you can do it and you will be able to accomplish it. No matter what your circumstances are you can always have an opportunity to rise above it.

“Everyone has obstacles in their life, we all have the power in us to be unstoppable and really rise above those obstacles and accomplish what we want to in life,” said Robles. “It is just about focusing on the right things. You need to focus on that goal and not hold on to the obstacles that are stacked against you. No matter who you are or what you do, there is always going to be something or someone that/who will try to hold you back.  It is all about focusing beyond that and not letting anything stop you. That is what makes you a Smart Guy.”

Anthony credits his family and coaches that he had along the way as strength or motivational factors in helping him achieve the successes that he has become to witness. “I did have a lot of great people around me,” Robles recalled. “My high school coaches (Bobby Williams and David D’Daminico) at Mesa High School in Arizona, my college coaches (Shawn Charles), my family (mom Judy and dad Ron, brothers Nicolas, Joshua, Andrew and my sister Ronnie) has always been there behind me, supporting me, always putting the belief in my head that I can do anything that I put my mind to. Without those people, there is no way that I could have accomplished what I did.”

Anthony recalled hearing the following statements and all of that provided him with the motivation to help him answer prove everyone wrong.  “Anthony you can’t do this, you are not physically capable of doing that, you have to concentrate on such and such, in order to be successful and don’t even try to participate in sports especially a sport physical as wrestling.” In a short answer to all his naysayers, Smart Guy Anthony Robles simply says “Watch me.”

The nation did watch as he became the 2011 Wrestling NCAA National Champion in the 125 pound weight class. He shocked nearly everyone in the nation when his arms were raised in victory in that championship match. “I definitely was not surprised when Anthony won the National Championship because we trained him to do that,” Arizona State University Head Wrestling Coach Shawn Charles said. “Myself and the coaching staff at Arizona State trained him to be the best he could possibly be. I knew that he was capable of being a National Champion when he walked into that door.”

photo by Wesley Herrera

Robles is a leader on his team and spread an infectious work ethic to the younger guys on the team. “He was a great leader. He has been a Captain every year since I have been here.” Charles explained. “Anthony definitely leads by example, he is a soft spoken guy, he is not the kind of guy that is going to yell at you or call you out. Anthony never tries to get out of any workouts, he works his butt off and never makes excuses for what he is doing or the situation that he is in. He is definitely a guy that when you look over at him and see how hard he is working and how determined he is to be successful, he definitely motivates you to do the best you possibly can.”

 

Robles after accomplishing his goal he set as a freshman in college of winning a national championship has now turned his focus into another direction. He knows that his story is unique and plans to become a professional motivational speaker. “I just put up my own website, choose2beunstoppable.com, I have my blog up where I am updating everyone on how things are going. Hopefully I will expand it from there. Some amazing doors have been opening since the National Championships, I have had a lot of interview requests, and some companies are talking about making a movie and book deal with me. It has also opened up a lot of doors for me to go and speak at different places. I am very grateful for the attention and I am just trying to enjoy it right now.”               

A Warrior Smart Guy,

Anthony

 

photo by Wesley Herrera

You can follow Anthony on twitter at @ARobles125. Let him know that you read his story on 'Smart Guy'!

 

Leading by Example: A 'Smart Family's' Story



Zarek Valentin, 4th overall pick in 2011 MLS draft


It's no accident that Julian and Zarek Valentin have had much success so young in life. Each humble, yet confident, are quick to acknowledge those around them who help guide their journeys and encourage their dreams. It is pretty clear that 'smart guys' are a product of 'smart parents', 'smart coaches', 'smart friends', and 'smart families'.  We at 'Smart Guy' are inspired by the story of this 'smart family' and hope that you will be too...

Part I: Zarek Valentin,

 "the baby brother"

It's easy to forget when you are speaking to Zarek that he is only nineteen years old.  His list of accomplishments and accolades, his insight into goal setting and acquisition, his humility; all lore you into thinking you are speaking to a man twice his age.  But the reality is, Zarek is a 19 year old who was recently a first round draft pick for the MLS. A few months earlier he led his college team, the University of Akron, to the NCAA championship game where they clenched the title, the first in the schools history in any sport.  He has played on the US National Team for U-20, U-18, U-17 and U-15.  Zarek made the decision to leave college after his sophomore year to enter the draft after fulfilling a promise to his coach not to leave college to go pro until he had won a national championship. Done. But his things to do list is far from complete and Zarek has a solid plan for continuing his success, starting with being a good teammate to his Chivas USA team this season...

In Zarek's words:

"My goals and habits were embedded in me from such a young age.  My brother Julian set an example for me.  He is five years older than me, but wasn't mean to me and let me tag along and supported me.  We had the same soccer coach so I would show up at the big kids practice with Julian and they would let me participate.  I struggled a lot, being so much younger, but I learned a lot too.  Julian played soccer seven days a week, and I wanted to do what he did.  I wanted to get out there and be like my brothers so I practice extra hours, I would come home from practice and practice. 

I learned early that playing at a higher level means that you have to put in extra hours.  My brother always said that you have to sacrifice things to get to the next level and my mother often reminded me that the best things for you are often the hardest things to do.  Their constant advise and guidance made it okay for me to miss out on some of the typical childhood activities that were going on around me. 

In high school I was surrounded by different things, opportunities to go astray, exposure to drugs and alcohol but I knew that I had a lot going for me and I didn’t want to jeopardize it. At that point I was already in the public eye because of my accomplishments on the field and my mother often reminded me that I had a lot to loose.  'There are eyes on you because people know who you are.  You are representing a lot, don't forget that.' My friends would be out partying and I would be at soccer practice or home getting ready for a game.  But I was blessed to have friends who believed in my goals and my vision for my future.  My friends looked out for me, protecting me, and became invested in what I had to loose.  They steered me away from activities and people, parties, things they felt would jeopardize my future.  I realized that surrounding myself with guys who had the same vision as me, made good decision making a lot easier. 

Some of the most important advise I ever got growing up was to 'keep your highs low and your lows high'.  Meaning, don’t let a good day build you up to get a big head, and when you have a bad day don’t let it bring you down and make you play worse.  Ironically I was given that exact same advise this week at training camp.  I admit that I am hard on myself, and I need to learn not to let failure crush me and keep me from being level-headed.

I’ve had a different childhood than most, I was away from home a lot.  I was gone for two years in high school (participating in an intensive soccer program in Florida for promising athletes) , then home for a year and then off to college.  The academy in Florida was very strict-- curfews, mandatory meals-- it had lots of structure and it was all about sports.  That discipline helped me be prepared for each of the next steps; college and now moving to CA and going pro. 

Coming out of college to go pro was a big decision.  My brother Julian graduated from college, he declined  this exact same opportunity in order to finish school.  I promised my coach we would win a national championship before I left to go pro.  We won the national championship so I met that goal.  But know that, in leaving college, I have not forgotten my education.  I haven’t figured out everything yet but I know that I need a plan outside of soccer that includes education.  Graduating from college is something that is very important to me and I will finish. 

Now I am in the LA area playing for Chivas USA.  Fortunately, I have people out here that I know, guys I met through the national teams, college friends.  I’m already trying to figure out how to make good choices, particularly when it comes to money.  Money is my biggest transition issue right now but I know that if I think ahead I can save up money for my future.  My family has encouraged me to invest my money well and I am setting up the right support team to be able to do that successfully.

My advise for being a 'Smart Guy': you’ve got to find something you love and do it with a smile on your face.  I wanted to be a pro soccer player since I was little and was willing to make sacrifices so that nothing could stop me.  Understand that you will go through hard times but know that things will work themselves out for the best.  My mother always said, 'hard work pays off'.  She's right!"

A 'Smart Guy' from a 'Smart Family',

Zarek



Zarek at University of Akron