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by
Les Honig
While many Ultimate University students may lay claim to developing their wrestling passion at an early age, few can match the personal history of Thomas Schlotfeldt, who remembers his first exposure to the sport at age 2.
“My dad turned on one of the shows and I fell right into it. All the dramatics; it felt like something just clicked in my head,” says the 18 year-old super-dedicated recruit, who now has taken this very early adoration and translated it into a life’s goal.
In between, though, much has happened to this 6’2” 250 pound heavyweight trainee to create a successful UU learning curve.
Raised in Temple City, California, Tommy remembers that he always excelled in sports like football and basketball because “I was the biggest, tallest and strongest kid around.” He also was a standout in martial arts, beginning at age 4; an accomplishment noteworthy at his school because usually the minimum age was 5. “I was big and very limber and could throw a kick over my head,” factors that allowed him to start his training a year early. This involvement in martial arts persisted for 12 years, eventually leading to his role as a teacher at the dojo; only to abandon it when he began his wrestling training 9 months ago.
Also a member of his high school football team where he played mostly offensive and defensive tackle and through weight training grew from 180 to 270 pounds in just two years, the outstanding athlete still maintained a love for pro wrestling although at that point he found no outlet for this central obsession, not realizing that it is indeed possible to attend schools where one can learn to develop his or her own pro mat skills.
This changed, however, for a 15 year-old Schlotfeldt when he viewed the Discovery Channels “Wrestling School” documentary which centered around our own federation.
“Suddenly I knew that you didn’t have to know someone in the sport to enter it,” and he was on his way to making his own personal entrée into the squared circle.
But this determined rookie was not about to begin his learning cycle unprepared and so he decided he must subject himself to the most rigorous personal training to be ready. Beginning in February of last year he spent endless hours with the weights and on the track further increasing his strength while improving his cardiovascular abilities so that “I wouldn’t lose my wind when I started training for real.” He recalls that his parents were supportive of his efforts all along, although at first they doubted his seriousness until he proved just how dedicated he was through his constant workouts which at one point he would undertake no less than 6 or 7 days a week.
Attending a session in August, 2003 he watched a super intense workout administered by Hardkore Kidd during his regular Wednesday class but still was not discouraged, although the students were put through a relentless cardio routine which included tiger rolls, where according to Tom, “one guy would stand on his hands and spread his legs while the next would dive through them.”
Needing to secure the funds and also to obtain his parents’ consent to begin as he had not yet turned 18, he waited several months before actually beginning; although his mind was on little else than his upcoming career.
Finally in late September it was time, and so Tommy began in earnest, with an uncharacteristically easy first Saturday session taught by Howard. “That particular day we had myself and three other new students so since there were a number of us, Tom decided to not do so much running and instead concentrated on introducing us to psychology and some basic moves. We worked on lockups and headlocks and maybe a shoulder tackle but that was it. I went home that night and thought, ‘Is this all it’s gonna take? My God, that’s easy!’ and I wasn’t sore at all. I even went out that night and played basketball with my friend.”
Such complacency, however, was soon to end as the freshman student attended next a Wednesday Hardkore Kidd session.
“We had one of those classes where you had to jump over this stick. You keep jumping over it and back and to the side and then you have to jump over it and under it 15 times each time. We also had to do about 200 squats. We didn’t even get into the ring for an hour and 15 minutes; just doing cardio the whole time. Then when we did get in there we started rolling and rolling and rolling some more. I don’t think we took a bump the entire night.”
Remembering with some pain how sore he was, (“I couldn’t walk very well. The next day I didn’t want to do anything but to get up a few times and get a drink,”) he says the discomfort really didn’t get bad till the following Saturday’s instruction when his still-sore and cramped legs forced him to take Advil for the “one and only time since I’ve been here.”
Finding his regimen much more manageable as time progressed but with personal problems that made him still reduce training to just once a week; (he hopes to increase his attendance shortly), Tom still found benefits from his new teachers, the Ballards, as he became a regular at the Tuesday class.
“I think the Ballards are great because they teach you such a variety of moves,” Schlotfeldt explains. “One day you might be learning an arm drag or hip toss and the next day you’re learning up-and-overs and schoolboys. You get to absorb a whole spectrum of moves in just 2 or 3 weeks.”
Appreciating too Hardkore Kidd’s extreme training and teaching of hold-to-hold as well as Howard’s focus on what elements contribute to a successful match story, Tommy has also appreciated the classes taught by fill-ins like Frankie Kazarian and Ollie John.
“Frankie is really a fun teacher and sometimes we do stuff that’s unusual but still valuable; like when he had us do a whole Survivor Series match. One guy even did the Hogan legdrop; another the Ultimate Warrior finisher where he shakes the ring ropes and a third one even did a Stinkface. Then Frankie turned on his opponents at the end. It was such a fun class.”
And as for Ollie John: “It’s always good because he teaches you how to do the bigger bumps. Like the class he taught before the last Mat Wars, he showed us how to do a suplex, a belly-to-back suplex and a back body drop; all in one session.”
As for his talented classmates who he feels have a bright future, Tommy points to some commonly mentioned grapplers and to what their particular strengths are.
“Nate (Nickerson) is one of the best hold-to-hold guys and it surprised me at first because he executed the moves so cleanly and smoothly. Everyone else was messing up at first and then eventually putting them in right but Nate was perfect each time. If he covered it up, he must have done so brilliantly because I didn’t see any mistakes.”
He also mentions Brandon Hill, (aka Lionheart) as very impresive and feels he has made enormous strides since he first saw him in training. “I just can’t believe how high he can jump or how fast he is or the knowledge he’s acquired. At first, when I met him, he seemed a little skittish but now he’s just bouncing off the walls!”
Finding favor too with this positive trainee are two other Good Guys; namely the tag team of Pete Zwissler and Kevin Martenson: “They are always funny in class when they execute their moves in character. I think their gimmick is fantastic and they have quickly improved so much so fast that I think they are now one of the best up-and-coming tag teams we have.”
Finally he appreciates the vast talents of Tony Stradlin and his amazingly giving attitude to new students. “He takes the time to work with everybody and is always encouraging them. He’s just a super nice guy.”
Still working on perfecting the big and little areas of his craft, Tommy shows both patience and understanding for the dues one must pay in the business. “I am just working to get better and once I learn enough, the good things, like appearing in shows will happen naturally,” he says with wisdom which belies his young years. He does look forward to that day when he can perform in front of family and friends for the first time and show them that their belief in him has been more than justified.
It is for such seriousness of purpose and for such maturity belying his young age that we have selected this promising new talent as our June Student of the Month and wish him continued personal growth and development as he learns along with as well as from the most talented pool of pro mat athletes in all of Southern California Wrestling!!
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