Ivie, Dillon UT: Dare to Challenge
LINK TO PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN WIN MAGAZINE (press “control” & click on mouse to open in new window): https://pages.pagesuite.com/e/0/e03a4ee7-a0ca-4031-be26-90db7c278add/page.pdf
By Bill X. Barron – RMN Events Writer
From a small town of under 300 residents in Utah, 11-year old Dillon Ivie knows what it is like to be underestimated. But he understands the path to greatness, as his cousin was a state champion. With a club coach who believes in him, and who encourages him to compete out of state, Dillon has eventually discovered that he can compete with the best.
Dillon is now recognized on Utah’s Youth Big Board, a special recognition in that it usually only lists top wrestlers in each weight who are in Grades 6-9. A 4th-year competitor in 5th grade, Dillon has ascended to the 17th position among those who are up and coming in the state.
Dillon’s day begins and ends early, as his family raises a hundred cattle and an assortment of other farm animals (Dillon’s favorite are the chickens). Just the same, the small town of Altamont is home to a big-time club known as the Longhorns, coached with skill by Coal and Steve Sanderson (brother and father of Cael). At an early age, the Sandersons imbue their proteges with the ethic that losing a match is less important than what you learn from the experience.
Taught to have a positive attitude, Dillon embraces the idea that even if his opponent is “stronger, faster, taller,” he can always find a way to beat him. The Sandersons have taught him to focus on one opponent at a time, to be upbeat whether on or off the mat, and to be considerate of all people especially his parents and elders.
There is “no video time” for Dillon according to this mother Rebecca. In addition to farm chores, Dillon has contributed to his community, earning his school’s Dare Award for leading efforts in the campaign against drugs. Without being asked, Dillon is the first to help set up for practice and is often one of the last in the room seeking ways in which he can improve. In addition to his expertise in wrestling, Dillon is a talented rodeo rider who competes locally and nationally in calf riding, pole bending, goat tying, and the rope tie.
Dillon looks forward to the “good competition” afforded him at RMN Events. He appreciates the opening light show and the fact that the Gutierrez family “is not cheap on awards.” The heavy Triple Crown trophy with a wrestler attacking a lion is “prestigious – you have to earn it, it is not given to you.” A member of the elite RMN Xtreme Pro Team, Dillon appreciates the fact that event staff will drop what they are doing to be cheering him on from the matside. Mom Rebecca values that RMN is “committed to giving back to the community and do not spare any expense to make it fun for the kids.
Despite being a seasoned competitor at an early age, one can often observe Dillon interacting with his opponents before and after a match. After vanquishing another wrestler, Dillon has been known to take him aside to show what techniques he used to beat him. A “genuinely nice kid,” Dillon is one of home-town values who remains humble about his potential for greatness. At the heart of what we all celebrate, Dillon makes everyone around him better for his presence and perseverance.