By John Connolly
Boston University junior wrestler Brett Frimer may be the ultimate feel good story.
Frimer’s college career began when he walked on to the highly ranked Terriers wrestling program. Then he quit. Then he walked on again. Yet, from that inauspicious start, Frimer has twice beaten scholarship athletes in mano-a-mano, give-no-quarter wrestle-offs. In the process, Frimer has earned a partial scholarship.
You might say King Walk-on has arrived.
Frimer, who turned 20 last Friday, arrived at BU with the kind of wide-eyed optimism that any freshman possesses.
“I didn’t know if I wanted to wrestle in college,” Frimer said. “Near the end of the (high school) season I realized I wanted to wrestle and that I’d miss it if I didn’t, so I talked with coach (Carl) Adams. He let me walk on to the team.”
But Frimer battled the precarious balance of academics, sports and social life at the start of his BU career. “So for one day, I quit,” he said.
“The first thing I said to coach when I actually stopped wrestling for the (one) day was, ‘I don’t think I can do this, it’s not for me,’ “ Frimer said. “Then I realized the next day that it was for me and I asked him if he’d let me back on “and coach Adams let me.”
Adams, a former big-time wrestler himself (Iowa State Hall of Fame) could relate to Frimer’s situation.
“The scholarships kids probably know a little bit more about what they’re getting into and what to expect,” Adams said. “I think he liked wrestling so much he couldn’t walk away from it and that’s true with a lot of kids. It gets into your blood. It’s very difficult to walk away from.”
His freshman year, Frimer, who was wrestling at 125 pounds, had to wrestle-off against a scholarship athlete (Mike Galorenzo) at 133 pounds, and won. Last year, Frimer was BU’s starting 133-pound weight class wrestler. He faced a top notch recruit in freshman Joe Whitaker. “We wrestled-off and I kept the spot for 133 (pounds) for the season,” Frimer said. “I had the spot so he had to beat me twice and I beat him.”
“He’s a competitor and he’s also a very hard worker,” Adams said, “and, I think most importantly, he hates to lose.”
Adams credits Frimer with being an integral part of the Terriers’ success.
“He’s beaten some pretty quality kids at the Division 1 level,” Adams said. “It’s all a matter of how hard he continues to work and the goals he sets for himself, but he’s a very good wrestler right now.”
Frimer is a long way from the day he walked on, off and then back on the wrestling team. He’s now a fully entrenched member of Adams’ team, a partial scholarship holder and a feel-good story.
“Wrestling is not just a sport,” Frimer said. “It’s a life.”
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