Wrestling CEO competes for fun
Jul. 16—Most sports have an outlet for some form of competition after high school or even college.
Take basketball, for example. On any given day, there will be a group of 30- to 40-somethings competing at a local gym, reminiscing on the glory days — if only they didn't blow out their knee, they'd be on the court with LeBron James.
But when it comes to wrestling, there aren't many options for competition following high school or college, unless you're a world-class competitor — or you have an extreme love for the sport like St. Joseph Regional Medical Center CEO Ed Freysinger.
Freysinger has competed in the USA Wrestling Masters Open Class National tournament almost every year since 2016.
The tournament gives those 25 years old and older an opportunity to continue wrestling. The tournament is broken down by weight class as well as age group.
This year's tournament took place in Las Vegas, with Freysinger bringing home some hardware. The medical specialist finished second in Greco Roman in the 60- to 65-year-old 285-pound weight class.
"Once you're a wrestler, you're always a wrestler, and that's what I appreciate about the sport," Freysinger said. "It teaches you and reinforces a sense of comradery and a sense of continuous pursuit of excellence. It also teaches you how to be a good competitor while being a consistent wrestler."
Freysinger began his national wrestling journey in 2016 and has placed every year he's competed, which includes a third-place finish in freestyle his first year back on the mat in 37 years.
"While I was in Wood River (Ore.) I had a discussion about getting back on the mat," Freysinger said. "I started losing weight and getting back in shape while getting my skills back. I gave it a shot and signed up for Nationals."
The Michigan graduate is the first to admit that his age division isn't the deepest class, with the most competitors he's seen in a year being 10 and the least being three. But despite this, he's just happy to be back on the mat.
The biggest influence on Freysinger's return to competition has been his son-in-law, Mike Glane, a former NCAA Division I wrestler at Ohio State University.
Glane's experience is something that can't be understated when Freysinger steps onto the mat. Having someone with Division I wrestling experience as a coach during these competitions is an edge not many have.
"While I'm training, I do a lot of jujitsu," Freysinger said. "Which is something that I do with my son-in-law, and he worked with me every day for a couple of weeks just to make sure that my stance and approach were good to go."
It's never been the accolades that've brought Freysinger joy throughout his time competing at these USA Wrestling events — it's the connections and relationships he's built through this niche community.
"Of course, the event and winning are fun," Freysinger said. "But everyone who is competing is out there pulling for each other once they're competing on the mat. It's a really interesting community. We all stay in touch on Facebook, which shows how old we are because we stay in touch through Facebook."
Pixley may be contacted at (208) 848-2290, tpixley@lmtribune.com or on Twitter @TreebTalks
