Wallace, Monte - NM Wolfpack Coach: Wrestling Saved My Life
The Pack Is Back
By Bill X. Barron
“Wrestling saved my life,” proclaims Wolfpack Wrestling Club (NM) Coach Monte Wallace. “I was a trouble-maker but wrestling kept me traveling, away from all that. Albuquerque is a rough city … a lot of my friends went to prison or returned to the streets. Sports are the only outlet that keeps kids from turning to the streets.”
Still a resident of New Mexico’s largest city, Monte has taken over the reigns of the club started by his mentor Lenny Lovato. In 2017, the Wolfpack took twelve wrestlers to the state youth championship and came away with a couple of champs.
By his third year, the Albuquerque club’s 60 kids led their peers to the state team championship. Says Monte: “These kids keep me out of trouble.” In addition to club practice, he holds private lessons for kids from all over New Mexico and has established a satellite program in Carlsbad.
The fundamentals which Coach Wallace teaches have their roots with his high school coach, Mikey Barreras, a college national champion at Central Oklahoma, as well as David Romero and Charlie Dotson. At New Mexico Highlands University, Monte wrestled under and learned from Head Coach Doug Moses.
His coaching philosophy is grounded in his own experience growing up in a tough environment. “Wrestling is a life-changer. It shows that kids that they have a choice. You can follow your friends and entertain yourself on phones and tablets, or you go somewhere in your life and get an education.”
Monte subscribes to the “tough love” philosophy. He says: “We push our kids hard. We do what is necessary to help them come around. The wrestling culture we establish invites first-timers by showing them that they can slam someone and not get in trouble.”
Coach continues: “Wrestling is a mean sport; it gives troublemakers like me an outlet. Kids have to fight for their lives. I tell kids that I have just the place for you. Nothing is given to you; you earn it. You get out of life what you put into it. If you want something, you have to go after it.”
That same toughness is applied at home with Monte’s godson Jayshaun Lewis, whose grandmother first raised him. “Their family came upon hard times. Jayshaun and I took a liking to one another. We both came from broken homes with no adult male love or guidance. Now he has a chance for a different life.”
Twenty years ago, Monte participated in the very first Rocky Mountain National Championships in Denver. “I had never been to anything like that. It was my first experience traveling out of state or seeing that many mats.”
In that meet in 1999, “Ed called everyone into the center of the mats to shake hands with Olympic Gold Medalist Rulon Gardner. Who can forget that? They have always treated us with respect, so I respect them. I love that they are a good family; with a handshake and a hug, they recognize that we are all in this together.”
Coach Wallace now brings his Wolfpack to as many RMN events as possible. “Wrestling creates bonds. I stay connected to kids I traveled with when I was ten. What I love about RMN is that they go around the country creating more bonding opportunities. Now they have brought in Marvel, which keeps the kids involved and brings adults like me back as well.”
The Wolfpack is helping lead the state of New Mexico to higher recognition at the national level. “Wrestling in this state is a work in progress. Coaches like Rey Gallegos, Ray Woods, Steven Peralta, and Dominic Casaus work with one another to represent the state. It’s awesome to see kids and families buy in and see coaches come together for a common goal.”