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Student
of the Month, March 2003 |
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by
Les Honig One of the most
striking phenomena in evidence lately at the R1 Center training
sessions is the appearance of a whole slew of outstanding female
students ready to jump feet first into the fray against their talented
male counterparts. Among the most
outstanding of these recent standouts is 22 year-old Nikki Tsugranes,
a fiery young grappler who has caught the attention of her classmates
and instructors because of her non-stop persistence and unbelievable
dedication. Seen every Tuesday,
Wednesday and Thursday night at the fed’s training sessions, she
literally lets her long light brown hair down to bounce and bump
around the squared circle, seemingly oblivious to the physical abuse
she must be enduring as her buffed-out guy classmates send her flying
into the ring posts or slamming to the mat floor. “Actually
that’s been one of the most challenging parts for me,” she says
with a weary but satisfied grin; “all the pounding and pain I’ve
had to endure; but frankly it’s been worth it to learn the skills I
need.” These typically-Nikki words show why this talented New
York-raised athlete, a sports standout all through high school and
college, decided to pack her bags as soon as she graduated college
with a pre-med major in biology and head off cross-country to
seek her fame and fortune in the glamorous but highly competitive
world of pro wrestling. Such a realization
was not one that came in a rare moment of reflection, however, but
instead arose from a long prior period following the sport.
“My older brother first got me interested when I was a
kid,” she admits, “and back in those days I was a big WWE and GLOW
fan; with the Ultimate Warrior being my favorite. We’d never miss
the Saturday morning shows.” Going
on to excel in high school team sports and gaining a basketball
scholarship to college she kept up with pro wrestling developments but
became reinspired with a passion when she caught some weekly Raw’s
at college and realized, “I just had to pursue this as a career. It
was such a perfect blending of athleticism and entertainment. I was
certain it was for me.” As much as she wanted to begin, though, she
realized that her ability to go through college was due to her
scholarship, and “if I trained and got hurt and couldn’t play
basketball, I might lose my scholarship and my ability to finish my
degree.” But even though she
had to wait just a while till graduation, this determined damsel
focused her free-time attention on finding the right place to train
when the chance would finally open up.
Seeing the highly-praised Discovery Channel documentary,
“Wrestling School” several years ago and then having met the
visiting Ballards and Frankie Kazarian at indy shows she frequented in
the New York/New Jersey area she soon became convinced that Ultimate U
was the school she had to attend and by March 2001; during her senior
year’s spring break, she made her first pilgrimage to see first-hand
what might lie in store for her should she commit to a future ring
education here at UPW. Traveling to several
El Segundo UU classes, she was more convinced than ever and by the
summer was already returning with her mom to find a place to live and
to see her first Galaxy show. “It was so much different than other
indy shows I had seen back East. Most of them were held in school gyms
and none had the excitement and professionalism of this show.” Finally making the
life-changing move, she arrived here in So Cal and immediately became
a firm part of the UU student roster; not minding at all the
challenges she might face training as one the new ladies in the group.
“I’ve always felt it’s to your advantage to train with
people who are already better than you, so for me that’s been a
definite plus.” She has
already bonded with the hard-core students like James Lukash, Sam
Culver, L’il Nate, Lamar Tinnin and Van Ayasit, (who “really
looked out for me”, and who “I really miss now that he is in
Japan.”) She also has
become good friends with teacher Shannon Ballard as well as with Erica
Porter who she recently faced in a ring encounter at the March
Loughlin, Nevada show and who she continues to train with regularly in
class. “I really love
this school because each teacher gives you a different area of the
business to concentrate on, “she explains, echoing the sentiments of
many current enthusiastic Ultimate U learners.
“The Ballards are my main teachers and they teach a variety
of areas while Hardkore Kidd concentrates on cardio and hold-to-hold
and Tom Howard shows you the psychology needed to put a successful
match together.” Currently supporting herself out here with an increasingly successful job as a trainer at L.A. Fitness, our March “Student of the Month” has already shown to everyone who cares to see that she possesses the “three D’s”, (determination, dedication and drive), needed to make it in our business and we wish her only the best at The University and beyond!
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Previous Ultimate University Students of the Month: February 2003 - Nate Nickerson |
