Serrano, Dominick CO: Seeking the Best
LINK TO PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN WIN MAGAZINE (press “control” & click on mouse to open in new window): https://pages.pagesuite.com/a/4/a46d6b0f-2c30-4421-9a07-76c8676fcda1/page.pdf
By Bill X. Barron
“My favorite part is just learning about wrestling. I work on not losing my cool or freaking out. The harder and closer the match, the more I love it. I want to give the crowd a good match.” This perspective, that of Dominick Serrano – Windsor High’s (CO) freshman state champion – illustrates that he will just continue getting better, a scary thought for his opponents. Rather than dodge those who might beat him, Dominick directly seeks out the best of the best, because he knows they will only make him better.
When he began wrestling at age five, it was all about the fun: “I loved going to practice and tournaments and spending time with my parents.” While he has not lost the enjoyment of good competition, he knows that he now has to work harder to stay ahead of his opponents. He says: “I take wrestling seriously, but still have fun so I don’t get tired of it. The right mentality for me is to keep getting better, not allowing myself to get too cocky.”
Although Dominick first began to get noticed when he came out of nowhere in 8th grade to win Tulsa Nationals, he learned to invite challenge through participating in RMN Events. “I like the way that RMN keeps the tournaments running real smooth, even though they are not small. I knew there could always be some kid who could pin me.” RMN Events helped Dom stay humble: “I never placed when I was younger. It gave me the idea of real competition, and it taught me to make the most of winning, to not take it for granted.”
This past season, his freshman year at Windsor, Dominick went in with the belief that he could beat anyone. Just as importantly, Dominick was focused on “not losing to someone that I knew I could beat. Having regrets, that’s what hurts.” Showing maturity, he knew that he was not going to change what he does best, but at the same time that “I could have my own style for each wrestler I faced.”
“What helped me out at State is that my coaches got me in great shape, ready to go all six minutes. Coach (Monte) Trusty told me that the only one who could beat me was myself. Coach (Ben) VomBauer (Bear Cave Club) helped me stay calm, so I didn’t let nerves get to me against older kids. I knew I was the same weight and that was all that mattered.” Traveling all over the country, “beating kids who might have been better than me, also prepared me for State,” says Dom.
Coach Trusty adds this about Dominick: “We are blessed to have Dom and his family as part of the program; all are incredible people. We're also very excited to see Dom continue his upward growth as a wrestler and person. I also hope he chooses to pursue the highest level goals our sport has to offer and have wrestling become his professional career, as there is no doubt that he was born to be on a mat!” Dom also thanks his parents: “I couldn’t be more thankful – they are a big part of my heart – and they will always be there for me. They are the best people I know.”
Using the combination of inner strength and not avoiding those who could beat him ultimately led to his first state title. It also prepared Dominick for his success this summer at the Cadet National Championships in Fargo, where he showed his versatility in finishing 2nd in freestyle and 3rd in Greco. He learned that by “wanting to be perfect, I didn’t do my best. But I learned from my losses. In God’s plan, if I lost, it was meant to teach me.”
In looking to the future, Dominick shares: “I am looking forward to taking one tournament at a time. I want to be noticed, to be seen, and to do that I must keep training, keep giving it my all, to not have any regrets. I want to wrestle and beat the best kids, kids who on paper might beat me. I realize that I am going to have a target on my back this year. Therefore, I have to get in great shape, to be prepared, to keep aiming for a similar outcome, and simply to keep improving.”
Let the Battle Begin!
2X State & Fargo Champs Collide in Denver
LINK TO PUBLISHED ARTICLE IN WIN MAGAZINE (press “control” & click on mouse to open in new window): https://pages.pagesuite.com/5/e/5e936d8b-1850-48ba-aba8-3291bc90e885/page.pdf
By Bill X. Barron
Pressure and spotlight come with being talented, but how each individual handles a situation can influence the outcome of a high-profile match. Two-time state champions Juniors Dominick Serrano (Colorado) and Jesse Ybarra (Arizona) will test their philosophies on matching up against the best when the two face off as part of the NWCA All-Star Classic this November 2nd in Denver.
Under partnership with the nation’s most prolific youth wrestling tournament promoters, RMN Events and NUWAY, the NWCA agreed to expand the event’s format to include top K-12 wrestlers from Colorado against nationally ranked opponents. Ybarra says this about his opponent: “In my view, it will be fun to face a wrestler as good as Serrano.” In turn, Serrano describes his Western foe: “Jesse will be tough. He’s a strong kid, so it will be a battle. I give him props for going up a weight.
Serrano takes this view of the challenge: “I believe I have yet to be at the top. I try to see myself like anyone else. It keeps me from getting ahead of myself. I try not to live in the past, nor use the spotlight to my advantage. I just stay focused on my goals and get to my attacks.” For Ybarra, “eyes on me, being under pressure cost me matches when younger. Over time, I have learned to handle – even welcome – the big lights.”
Both wrestlers express gratitude for the opportunity which RMN Events has provided for them to share recognition with their college idols. Though this is Jesse’s first time in Denver, he describes other RMN tournaments as “really well run, big but quick. RMN prepared me to be around people and competition. Their events helped me progress by developing a feel for what worked best under pressure.” Dominick, on the other hand, matured quickly by having the out-of-state competition in his backyard: “RMN has always been a big part of my wrestling career. Since childhood, I have looked up to Ed Gutierrez and his family. Now I am excited that they are allowing me to be in the spotlight.”
Serrano’s training regimen begins with “working hard, maintaining a consistent weight.” Dom is successful, he believes, because “I try to break kids,” a mentally tough approach he garnered from his Windsor High School coach, Monte Trusty, and Bear Cave Club coach, Ben VomBauer. Dom is also “focused on doing the same training every year but doing it harder and better.” Ybarra attributes his success at Tucson’s Sunnyside High to “holding good position, being real technical on my feet, working different tie-ups, setting up my shots. I’m hard to score on. My coach, Mike Bravo, taught me to do the extra work in order to win, and how to keep scrambling until I score.”
Jesse states: “Freestyle is my first and favorite style; through that I developed a feel for folkstyle.” Dominick (126 lbs.) and Jesse (120 lbs.) are proficient in freestyle; both come into the All-Star Classic as reigning Fargo Cadet national champions. Serrano was a Fargo freestyle runner-up in 2017, but he thanks Coach Tim Grasmick for “teaching me not to defend a place but to aim higher.” Ybarra is a Pan Am champion; his role model is former teammate Roman Bravo Young, a 4-time Fargo champ and 4-time undefeated (182-0) Arizona state titlist who is now a Penn State freshman.
For the past two years, Dominick has been asked to address younger wrestlers at the RMN Middle School State Championships, which he won before earning two high school state titles. He tells his audience: “Don’t expect everything to be possible, unless you work harder than your opponent. Wrestling is not an easy sport. If you lose, which you will, use it as motivation to get better.”
“School is very important to me, since I plan to wrestle in college,” states Ybarra. “I strive to be as good in school as I am on the mat. My favorite subject is math. Academics taught me discipline, how to problem solve. Out of school, I donate time to the little kids’ program to show them what I know.” Likewise, Serrano proclaims: “Wrestling makes me a better person and student. When I do well in school, I don’t have to worry about being eligible to wrestle. Wrestling has changed my life. I will be forever grateful for the sport and what it’s taught me.” Dom also thanks his mom: “She showed me the way – we pray before every match. I feel safe knowing that someone else will always be by my side.”
Both young athletes, for all their successes on and off the mat, remain humble. “I have made a conscious decision to take each opponent as just another kid in my weight,” says a wise Dom. “It will bite you in the head if you get ahead of yourself. It’s definitely a choice that I have stayed with my entire career.” Jesse speaks to those who have shaped him: “I wouldn’t be where I am today without my mom, dad, coaches, and teammates pushing me to be the wrestler and person I am.”