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<\/a>I was sitting in the Ford Wyoming Center (previously known as Casper Events Center) in February 2022, watching the Wyoming High School Activities Association\u2019s State Wrestling for the first time. Our 16-year-old son, Vaughn, was down on the floor, huddled up with his team from Laramie High School. He was proudly sporting his long-sleeved state t-shirt the guys had received for the event, \u201cHIME\u201d emblazoned down one arm, which matched mine sitting up in the stands and Levi\u2019s from his spot on the floor, taking pictures. Looking around me, parents were clad in their own respective team\u2019s tees, familiar colors and mascots dotting the arena. It was easy to spot the sea of names screen-printed onto every available space on the backs of shirts everywhere, as parents leaned forward in rapt attention, elbows resting on knees poised to spring their owner to his\/her feet at a moment\u2019s notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I had brought a book, which seemed a smart idea at the time. Now sitting in this environment, I realized what a laughable concept that was. I\u2019m no newbie to high school athletics: our eldest, Autumn, was captain of her LHS Lightning Dance Team her senior year of 2020-21, and we had spent four years at State Spirit, wearing our proud parent maroon tees and cheering on our girl. Before that, I had both coached LHS Cheer and been on the floor myself at state events. Levi was a swimmer at LHS and coached cheer with me later. But sitting here, with my book, I realized I was in a whole new \u2013 and electric \u2013 atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Organized on the floor were nine colorful wrestling mats, where individual matches were in different stages simultaneously. Some were beginning, while others were just wrapping up, and some were in the heat of the battle. Immersing myself in the parent experience at State Wresting, I observed that the passion of the parents matched that of the athletes and coaches. This isn\u2019t unique to athletics, but here it was intense, personal and impressive. You can imagine the waves of cheers, groans, and the all-so-\u2018helpful\u2019 parents yelling \u201cpin him!\u201d – \u201cget out of that!\u201d \u2013 \u201ccome on!\u201d \u2026 The best word I could think of is \u2018cacophony,\u2019 although the definition includes the word \u2018harsh,\u2019 which I disagree with. I would use the words intense, raucous, electrifying. You try reading a book here.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a><\/a>Vaughn had surprised us last year with the announcement he was going to try wrestling. It wasn\u2019t too much of a stretch \u2013 he has spent seven years now at Snowy Range Taekwondo, currently a high red belt working on his black belt and teaching little beginners. His favorite competitive event is sparring, and his favorite hobby is weightlifting, so wrestling was a natural progression, I suppose. However, when I offered flyers to all sorts of summertime activities to ten-year-old Vaughn, I suggested wrestling camp \u2013 which was met with a firm \u201cAre you kidding me?!\u201d So the announcement was a bit of a surprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It was a big but enjoyable learning experience for Vaughn, and our whole family was thrilled with the opportunity to attend State. (As a parent, I\u2019ve always been appreciative of steep learning curve opportunities for the lesson-rich times that will pay dividends in the future.) When Levi found me during a break, he shared that he had met a neat mom from Dubois \u2013 Adria Trembly. \u201cShe and I had a really nice conversation about how hard these kids are working, and I think she\u2019d be great to interview,\u201d he said. Fortunately for me, not only is Adria passionate about her son Wyatt\u2019s wrestling career, her husband and Wyatt\u2019s father, David, is Dubois High School\u2019s wrestling coach. While I was a newbie parent navigating the intense emotional experience of wrestling, the Trembly family are seasoned pros.<\/p>\n\n\n
<\/a>Wyatt, a Student Council Vice-President who is currently in his senior year with a 4.0 GPA at Dubois High School, began wrestling at the age of nine when a local family brought youth wrestling to town. Adria described Wyatt\u2019s first event and win. \u201cWe bought him a sweatshirt and took him out to a nice restaurant in Casper,\u201d she said. \u201cI loved yelling in his corner. We had great quality time together as a family, and Wyatt\u2019s confidence grew from there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Through the years since, Wyatt has suffered defeats and injuries as well as soared to exciting wins and opportunities. In middle school, Wyatt qualified for Team Wyoming; in ninth grade, Wyatt was a state runner-up in his weight class. However, the past couple of years has brought the family an extra-special opportunity. In 2019 David was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer, which added to the challenge of family life, coaching and wrestling. David, who teaches a variety of subjects for Dubois High School ranging from physical education to computer science, also coaches football and track, and told me that \u201cluck brought us to Dubois.\u201d The family loves the small-town atmosphere and close-knit community and school. David has continued to teach and coach throughout his treatments, and his connection with Wyatt and wrestling has helped the family through this tough time. \u201cWyatt has been with us all through this,\u201d Adria explained. \u201cHe\u2019s been a huge help to his dad. His faith and mental attitude are so strong. He never complains. He\u2019s channeled so much energy into his athletics; it\u2019s his outlet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it came to State Wrestling in 2022, a determined Wyatt used that channeled energy to push him to a first-place win in the 2A 170 pound weight class. In a conversation that mirrored many I have with fellow Wyomingites, we discovered we have a mutual friend: a first-class coach himself, Pete Kaligis, who recently moved from the University of Wyoming\u2019s football program to Washington State University. Pete weighed in on Wyatt\u2019s emotional win in a message Adria said captured it perfectly: \u201cI could see all your frustrations channeled,\u201d Pete told Wyatt. \u201cYou were saying, \u2018I am not going to lose this match.\u2019\u201d Adria paused a second before adding, \u201cWyoming is full of people like [Pete].\u201d (Author\u2019s side note: 100% agree.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Watching Wyatt celebrate that first-place win with David was a moment Adria will remember forever. \u201cThe emotion was so incredible. I\u2019ll never take those pictures off my phone,\u201d she said with a little emotion in her voice.<\/p>\n\n\n Dubois High School is the home of another amazing wrestler, Sammie Cyrus. A double amputee adaptive wrestler, Sammie was an inspiration for Levi and I to watch in action. Sammie was also an inspiration to Vaughn, who asked us after State, \u201cDid you see that kid from Dubois? That was so cool to watch!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Adria introduced me to Sammie\u2019s mom, Kelly Cyrus, and after learning Sammie and his parents\u2019 story, I\u2019d like to amend my \u201cinspirational\u201d description of Sammie to \u201cunstoppably inspirational.\u201d At 10 months old, Sammie contracted Niseria Meningococcemia, a rare form of meningitis. \u201cThe infection took over his circulatory system, turned his body black and severely affected the growth plates in his legs,\u201d Kelly explained. The family received care at Denver Children’s Hospital for skin debridement and grafts on his legs, as well as treatment for the long-term effects on his growth plates, which would \u201c\u2026turn on and off at will,\u201d Kelly explained. \u201cWhen {they} were {in} the off stages his body would continue to feed calcium to them, and in turn his joints would calcify.\u201d This led to pain and difficulty performing normal daily activities for a then four-year-old, such as running, jumping and playing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An initial amputation consultation in Denver suggested taking the leg above the knee, an option with which Sammie\u2019s parents were not comfortable. Through a second amputation opinion with Shriner\u2019s Hospital in Salt Lake City, the family chose to amputate one foot at the ankle. On September 1, 2011, Sammie\u2019s first foot was amputated, and by Halloween, he had his first prosthetic. \u201cSammie was up and running around in no time,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the age of eight, Sammie\u2019s continued pain in his other foot led to much missed school and Sammie\u2019s request to amputate his second foot. \u201cIt was on one of {those missed school} days that Sammie sat me down and explained how he was feeling and how he just couldn\u2019t do it anymore,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cThe next thing he said was, \u2018Mom, I know this is hard for you but I\u2019m ready. Please call the doctor and schedule me for surgery.\u2019 Even though it hurt to hear those words, I did what he asked.\u201d On January 5, 2016, Sammie\u2019s second foot was amputated. \u201c{T}wo months later he was back up and walking around on two legs, pain free for the first time in years,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cSammie didn\u2019t know what a life without pain was before that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sammie became unstoppable, Kelly said. \u201cHe has no limits and there is nothing an able body person can do that Sammie won\u2019t at least try.\u201d Kelly shared how she received a call from the school one day \u2013 Sammie\u2019s foot had broken off the bottom of his brand new leg. \u201cI asked how it happened, and Sammie said, \u2018Well all the other kids were jumping off the monkey bars so I thought I could too,\u2019 and he did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n At the age of eight Sammie started snowboarding with Teton Adaptive Sports, boarding every weekend for four years. Still a passion, Sammie discovered wrestling in sixth grade, replacing some time on the hill with time on the mat. Wrestling was a challenge but obsession for Sammie, where he relished the individual nature of the sport, testing one\u2019s ability to be strong and quick. When Coach David Trembly, then at USA Wrestling in Dubois, noticed Sammie\u2019s natural drive and talent, he wanted to help. Eager to learn what he could, in Sammie\u2019s seventh grade year David reached out to the coaches of Hassan Hawthorne, a double amputee adaptive wrestler who was then at North Idaho College in Coeur d\u2019Alene, asking for coaching advice. Hassan made the trip to Dubois to spend one-on-one time with David and Sammie. \u201cHe showed Sammie moves he could do from the ground, how to start and stand in neutral, and the best way to get out when you\u2019re on the bottom,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cHe explained to Sammie that most of his power is going to come from his arms and hands and how to build those muscles. He learned that hard work, determination, practice and patience with himself will eventually pay off.\u201d Hassan became Sammie\u2019s wrestling mentor. \u201cIt truly made Sammie feel like if Hassan can do it and be a state champion, then he can too.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Today, Sammie keeps in touch with Hassan, messaging him before and after competition days. \u201cIt\u2019s a pretty awesome friendship these two have developed, and it truly is thanks to the Tremblys,\u201d Kelly said. Hassan shares videos and posts about Sammie on his own Instagram page. Sammie, in turn, inspires other adaptive wrestlers. \u201cI have other moms reach out to me who have watched videos of Sammie online and tell me how their child who is an amputee has taken to wrestling because of {him},\u201d Kelly said. He also inspires wrestlers of all types. \u201cSammie has told me that there are some kids who come up to him while he is wrestling and tell him that he is the reason they wrestle and haven\u2019t given up.\u201d When he won fourth place in his state bracket his freshman year in Casper (2022), his parents were touched by the response from the entire Ford Center as their son took the podium. \u201c{It} was absolutely incredible,\u201d Kelly said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For me, researching and writing this story gives me goosebumps. When my son decided to suddenly venture into wrestling, I had no clue I would be cheering him on at the Ford Center on that cold February Saturday nearly a year ago. I had no clue Levi would be on the floor taking pictures and given the opportunity to be inspired by Sammie. He had no clue he\u2019d happen to meet Adria Trembly, whose son and husband developed a love of wrestling together, which would give Sammie the opportunity to learn and be inspired by an amazing athlete like Hassan Hawthorne \u2013 and how Sammie, Wyatt, David, Adria and Kelly are now serving as inspirations to many around the state \u2013 like me, Levi and especially our Vaughn. Pretty cool circle, when you think about it.<\/p>\n\n\n \u201cSammie is an ambassador for wrestling,\u201d Adria said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c{Hassan\u2019s inspiration to Sammie} just goes to show what great coaches David Trembly and his wife are,\u201d Kelly said. \u201cThey didn\u2019t have to go out of their way to try and help Sam but they did \u2013 and that speaks volumes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Athletics and competition aside, David, Adria and Wyatt all shared that one of the best elements of wrestling in Wyoming is the friendships formed along the way and good sportsmanship they have experienced. \u201cIt\u2019s so neat that Wyatt is a 2A athlete but will wrestle kids from Sheridan, Cheyenne, Casper,\u201d David said. \u201cHe\u2019s made friends throughout the state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>