By TED McCARTAN
Tribune Staff Writer
CULVER — Senior Maria Alvarez had never even heard of Rulon Gardner before his motivational speech Wednesday afternoon at the Culver Academies.
She was oblivious to all of it: the gold medal, the upset over a Hoover Dam-sized Russian, the nine-toed comeback for a bronze medal in 2004, and the rest of his accomplishments worthy of a Disney script. But that didn’t stop her from ordering three of his books, requesting a photo-op with him after he spoke, and walking out of the auditorium a big, big fan.
“I met him in my anatomy class this morning, “she said. “Every time someone from class opened the door to come in we thought it was him. We saw him through the window and he was like huge. ”
He made an impression on the faculty as well.
“Five minutes into the conversation we knew it would be a good relationship, “wrestling coach Russ Schenk said. “Our personalities really meshed well. He’s like your brother, he’s like your best friend, down to earth, disciplined, hard working, and it’s a great thing for a school to have him here.”
Gardner came to the Culver Academies to speak to the entire student body about overcoming adversity. It’s a topic he knows an awful lot about, and he reflected on his own life experiences and challenges — everything from dealing with a learning disability in his childhood to coming back from having a toe amputated to compete and medal in the ’04 Olympics.
And of course he spoke about his most famous feat, upsetting the undefeated and hugely-favored Russian, Aleksandr Karelin, in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, a match later dubbed the “Miracle on the Mat.”
“To this day, it kind of blows my mind away that I had an opportunity to go out and win that match, “he said. “I was just happy to be there.”
Today, he travels all over the country to share his experiences in the hopes of inspiring as many people as possible. It’s something he enjoys “probably more “than the rewards of his wrestling career.
“There are so many ways in life you can get frustrated, get upset or just give up on yourself, “Gardner said. “And my goal is to just go out there and show [students] how a little kid from Wyoming can go out there and win the gold medal. And it doesn’t matter what sport it is or what the challenge is.”
With all the things he has accomplished, he’s now able to do something he’s always dreamt of — teach. And he said if he wouldn’t have won the gold medal and an ESPY, if he was never on Letterman or Oprah or Leno, that’s what he’d be doing. Just teaching and coaching, back in Wyoming.
“There’s no better opportunity than to be a teacher, “he said.
Except his lessons can’t be read in a text book or memorized on flash cards — they’re lessons for life. And he’s leaving a wake of smiling faces behind him.
“Perseverance is the name of the game, “said coach Schenk. “He brings that out in a presentation and you get to see somebody that you watch on ABC sports and won the Olympic gold medal, it’s a great asset for our kids.”
Gardner’s goal is to continue his tour for the next two or three years, then finally move back to Wyoming to “live way up in the mountains. “Until then, his message persists.
“Up and down the line there are obstacles and ways to give up and it’s just a matter of going out there and believing in yourself, “he said.
And it’s sinking in, even if it’s a girl who doesn’t know Rulon Gardner from Joe the Gardener.
“I think it’s amazing what he went through, and the psychological strength he has to keep going, “Alvarez said. “It is amazing that he made it happen. Because nobody can make it happen for you, you’ve gotta do it yourself.”
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