Don’t judge a book by the cover. How many times have you heard that in your life? How many times have you said it?
I had the opportunity to catch up with Kellan Fluckiger (pronounced Flew-kig-er) recently and it definitely was a high point of my weekend. Let me paint you a picture of the cover of Kellan Fluckiger.
Kellan is a 6’3″, 250 pound, tattooed, Harley riding GIANT! He is the type of guy that could make a freight train take a dirt road”¦just for fun. He sports a black Mohawk, has a somewhat deep raspy voice and he gargles with crushed glass; I swear!
He has a tattoo on his upper chest that says: I Stand Alone. He lives by the creed: Fear profits a man nothing. And a tattoo on his left thigh depicts a Viking boat in flames. “When the Vikings went to conquer another land they would set their own boats on fire when they landed on shore leaving them no means of escape,” said Kellan. “They had to fight or die.”
Looking on the outside, or this cover, one might think they know Kellan, but be careful. Like most wrestlers, there is much more on the inside.
Comic book collector
“I am a giant comic book nerd,” said Kellan, “I have been collecting comic books forever. I love Spider-Man and the X-Men. I really like the new RPW comic, Body Slam; I think it is a great way to market to the kids. I’d love to talk to Toby about the story lines and maybe help write some of the new ones. I think I could come up with some good stuff.” Are you listening Toby? You can’t refuse the GIANT comic book nerd.
Television star and professional athlete
“One day I’m in Arizona reading comics and training,” said Kellan. “The next day I’m in Los Angeles shooting Season 1 of Real Pro Wrestling. I had such a great time; it was a great event. I can’t wait for Season 2, it will be a great opportunity to showcase wrestling and make some sweet moolah!”
Starring role in a music video
“We shot a video in the RPW arena,” said Kellan. The video featured Seth “Shifty” Binzer, the front man for the Multi-platinum rock band Crazy Town, famous for the hit song “Butterfly. “It was awesome, bringing in a famous singer to do a video with the wrestlers in our new arena. Mixing sports, entertainment and celebrities will help grow the league.”
A loving husband
“I recently swept my wife (Regina) off to Las Vegas to marry me,” said Kellan. “I met Regina in the Phoenix airport coming back from a trip. I struck up a conversation with her and kind of kept hinting to her to give me a ride home and she finally gave in. After a few months of friends/dating I stood up while we were watching television and said let’s go to Vegas and get married. I don’t think she thought I was serious; I put my shoes on and said let’s go. The next day we were married.”
Elementary school teacher
“I was a Physical Education teacher for children K-6 at Brunson-Lee Elementary School in Arizona. I love kids and making positive impacts on there lives,” Said Kellan. He also served as volunteer coach for his alma mater ASU, working specifically with the heavier weights.
A Chemist
Recently Kellan moved to West Virginia to take part in a unique opportunity that allows him to balance his Olympic training and utilize his Biology major to pursue his career goals. “I have a great situation down here,” said Kellan. “I work for Mylan Pharmaceutical, the largest generic drug manufacturer. Right now my job is to do chemical analysis on drugs to ascertain longevity of the drug in blood plasma.” This Olympic Sponsorship Program is a joint effort between: Mylan Pharmaceutical, West Virginia University and Sunkist Kids Wrestling Club. The object of the program is to allow elite level athletes vying for a spot on the Olympic Team the opportunity to continue their training full time while pursuing their career goals. “It is a fabulous opportunity and I am glad to be part of it,” said Kellan.
A Movie Star”¦(Almost)
Preston, ID is a town with a population of around 5,000. Not a lot comes out of there except for Kellan Fluckiger and Jarod Hess. Who is Jared Hess you ask? Jared is the writer and director of the blockbuster movie Napoleon Dynamite and he is a friend of Kellans’. “Jared was always shooting short movies and talking about being a famous writer and director,” said Kellan. “He signed my yearbook something like, I’m going to put you in my movies someday and make you famous. All I thought was hey”¦great. I went back to Preston to speak at my high school graduation and ran into Jared, he told me he was doing a movie and to call him that he had a part for me. I told him I would but I never did; the movie was Napoleon Dynamite. My big chance to be a huge movie star and breathe down the neck of The Rock and Tom Cruise and I blew it”¦for now. I missed my window of opportunity so now I have to kick down the door, laughed Kellan.”
When you watch Napoleon Dynamite note the time mark in the movie at 36:09, hit pause and you will see the yearbook open. The right page, fourth picture down next to the seam, there it is”¦ Kellan’s silver screen debut”¦Flippin’ Sweet.
If you ever get a chance to meet Kellan, stop him for a second and make him tell you a story. Add a page of Kellan to your life, it will be a memorable one; I promise. His personality is magnetic and you will find yourself laughing and having a good time. Looking back I guess maybe the freight train took the dirt road to follow Kellan”¦just for the fun.
Kellan’s Advise for kids
Do not depend on other people. Work hard. Talent will only get you so far.
For the parents
Support your kid’s choices.
For other coaches
Don’t have too much pride and control. Accept help and knowledge from anywhere possible. Keep an open mind to change and adaptation.
Wrestling Gear
