They say that the privilege of a lifetime is being who you are. At the 11th annual Reno Nationals Wrestling Tournament held the weekend of April 4-6, in Reno NV. Incline Kids Wrestling Club athlete Jordan Cronin showed that he is a champion with high aspirations. Cronin completed the 3 day tournament not only undefeated, but unscored upon. In addition, and before a national audience, Cronin scored wins by fall in all of his bouts leading up to the championship match Sunday afternoon.

"An event of this caliber is an opportunity to dig a little deeper, to find a deeper strength" remarked Incline Kids Wrestling Coach Tony Guerra.  "Jordan's been planning and working for this for a year now. He definately stepped up to the challenge and we're all very proud of him."

When asked how he felt about the weekends tournament Cronin, a 6’4” 260 pound sophomore, remarked, "This is awesome! This is what all those days of training were for. The work was hard to get here but it was worth it." In total, Cronin outscored all of his opponents combined by twenty-five points. Cronin did not give up a single point during the entire tournament.

Reno is regarded as one of the most competitive events in the nation and the Nationals typically draws many of our nations most talented up and coming wrestlers to battle it out on the mats. This year was no dissapointment as the competition was fierce and every match was intense. Cronin was definately ready and has been preparing for some time now. "This was my 4th year coming to Reno. I'd come close to winning it before but came up a little short. When you get that taste of getting so close to your goal it only makes you want to work harder to get it", commented Cronin.

In his finals match versus Kenny Young of Chico, Ca., Cronin was impressive if not dominating. Matches of this magnitude are often so competitive that they are often decided by 1 point, sometimes 2. When the final score was tallied, Cronin had won by a score of 5-0. "I went in there. I wrestled my match. I did everything I knew I could do, and got it done." said Cronin of the match. "I'm happy, I'm really happy. There's more to come though, more training, more goals. We're going to get some pizza and celebrate with my family, then it's back to work, back to battling. I want to get better everyday."

Reno WOW National Trophy & Medal

Before the tournament and immediately after, Cronin recieved a tremendous outpouring of support from teachers and classmates alike. In a sense, all of Incline Village can share in the accomplishment of this young man. "When you step out onto the (wrestling) mat, you step out there alone. But no competitor, at any time, has ever arrived there alone." remarked IKWC Coach Tony Guerra. "A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than themself. People wth courage like this, like Jordan, they are the heros of our time. Not because they win wrestling matches, but because they believe in themselves and they inspire others to do so also."

Cronin continues to work toward his goal of wrestling in college and tournaments such as the highly competitive Reno Nationals serve to help him prepare for this summers USA Wrestling Freestyle and Greco-Roman National Championships. Held in Fargo North Dakota July 17-26 2008, the tournament is regarded as the toughest tournament in the nation and is a showcase of the nations most talented wrestlers. Cronin the 2x defending state champion in the heavyweight division will compete head to head with our nations best and most competitive athletes for all american status and a national title.

At 16 years old, Cronin will likely be one of the youngest athletes to compete in the "Junior Division" which is generally populated by 17 and 18 year olds. Asked how he feels about the opportunity to compete at a higher level, "I feel I've got a lot to give. I feel good about raising the bar." Cronin replied. "We should welcome the chance to challenge ourselves if we want to get better."

Up next for this talented athlete is the Casa Robles Greco-Roman & Freestyle wrestling Tournament in Orangevale, CA. Wrestling is scheduled to begin by 9:30 am. Incline Kids Wrestling Club would like to invite you to come out and cheer on Jordan as he battles it out on the mats.

Incline Kids is also pleased to extend our gratitude to Mr. Scott Casber and takedownradio.com for an exciting and informative interview last Saturday (4/5) morning. Mr. Casber and takedownradio.com hail from Des Moines Iowas and for over ten years now have focussed on spotlighting our nations hard working wrestlers at the prep, collegiate, and international levels. Mr. Casber's internet radio show reaches tens of thousands of fans of the worlds oldest and greatest sport. If you missed Scott's live interview with Jordan, you can listen to it on his website takedownradio.com or download it as a podcast. On behalf of Incline Kids and the wrestling community, thank you takedownradio.com and Mr. Scott Casber! We certainly appreciate the work you have done for our sport for over ten years.