LEARNING DEDICATION
Elliott Nay knows firsthand what it takes to become a state wrestling champion.
From his first days in the University High wrestling room, the Titan senior has had state champions as practice partners.
“My first year I wrestled with Cory Fish, and he was a state champion that year,” Nay said. “He was two years older than me. I learned a lot from Cory and Mike Malsam that year.
“I used to go to the Fishes house every day after school, and we talked about wrestling. Even when Cory left for Boise State, we talked about wrestling.”
Nay helped Fish win two state titles and had his brother, Chase, ranked as a favorite to win a state title last year before an injury wiped out the end of his senior season. This year, Nay’s practice partner is junior Brian Owen, a state champion as a freshman and a two-time state finalist.
Having a state champion for a practice partner is a challenge Nay rose to meet. Behind virtually every state champion is a practice partner pushing him hard every day in practice.
“You have to be ready to work every day,” Nay said. “You need to push them hard to help them get better, and they force you to get better.
“The thing I learned about Cory and Chase Fish and Brian Owen is just how hard they work every day. They don’t stop moving the whole time they’re in the practice room. We run lines, they’re always the first guys finished and they go hard every time.”
That, in a nutshell, is the secret to wrestling success, Nay said. Dedication.
“Those guys were so focused on wrestling,” he said. “We have guys in the program who are dedicated to wrestling for the four months or however long we have for the season. These guys were focused on wrestling year-round.”
Nay learned how to analyze videotape of his own matches and matches of opponents.
“They were all dedicated to watching the tapes,” Nay said. “They watched a lot of tape and they really paid attention to the little things. It all comes down to the little things.”
Not surprisingly, then, hard work has been Nay’s forte throughout his U-Hi career, and it’s paying dividends this season.
“One of the things I’ve learned from these guys is how to pace yourself in a match,” Nay said. “I’ve always had good wind because I run cross country, but you learn how to pace yourself for a whole six-minute match and make sure you have something left in your tank at the end.”
And, Nay said, having Owen as a partner is like having a wrestling encyclopedia handy.
“Brian knows so many different moves,” he said. “I’m always learning new moves and new variations from him.”
This year both Nay and Owen are undefeated in the Greater Spokane League going into this week’s Battle of the Bone dual match at Central Valley. Owen is undefeated overall and won the Tri-State Tournament in Coeur d’Alene for the second time in three years. Nay reached the Tri-State semifinals, where he lost a 2-0 decision to state placer Eric Jones of Auburn-Riverside, and won the 140-pound title at the Pacific Northwest Classic at University.
Owen is ranked No. 1 in the state at 119 pounds. Nay is ranked No. 3 at 140 pounds, behind top-ranked Michael Mangrum of Auburn-Riverside, who has been wrestling at 135, and Mitchell Tipton of Lake Stevens. Nay lost the consolation final at Tri-State to Tipton, 1-0.
“I’ve wrestled behind some great wrestlers at U-Hi,” Nay said. “This year is my year, and I’ve been excited about taking advantage of it. It’s kind of my year to shine.”
A year ago Nay placed third at 140 in the Class 4A District tournament behind former state champion Lucas Chesher and state placer Anthony Varnell of Lewis and Clark, and placed fifth at regionals, just shy of qualifying for the state tournament.
University coach Don Owen has said he felt Nay was more ideally suited to wrestle lighter, but kept him at 140 out of necessity.
This year, he said, his senior is more suited to the weight and his success thus far has borne that out.
Seeding for the upcoming district tournament will be worked out Monday, with the tournament scheduled for Friday and next Saturday at Mead. The regional tournament is the following week at University, with state scheduled for Feb. 17 and 18 at the Tacoma Dome.
“This time is what it’s all about,” Nay said. “This is what you work for.”