Wrestling helped mold Airman into man he is today
By Senior Airman Joshua G. Moshier, Black Hills Bandit staff
One reason many advocates of sports and competition give for why sports are so vital to our society is the fact they teach us invaluable life lessons during our formative years and even into adulthood. Things such as the value of hard work and perseverance, dealing with success and failure, teamwork, trust and more can be learned on the field of play.
It would be difficult to say which sport teaches these lessons best, but the example of Justin Hughes, an airman first class assigned to the 28th Comptroller Squadron, certainly makes a strong argument for wrestling being near the top of the list.
Hughes began wrestling at the age of 10 in his hometown of Anaconda, Mont., and continued to do so until his graduation from Anaconda High School in 2003. What started out as a fun thing to do with several of his friends turned into a passion that led to him starting on his high school varsity team as a freshman and a second place finish in the Montana Class A 140-pound divisional tournament as a senior.
The success Hughes had on the mat was merely icing on the cake for the man the sport helped mold him into today.
“By the time I joined the Air Force, I felt I was already well above the set standards, “Hughes said. “As far as the (physical training) test, I didn’t find it to be difficult at all, and I scored an excellent both times I took it.”
The respect and discipline the sport and his coaches instilled in him has also resulted in him displaying a professionalism and maturity well beyond that of the regular 19-year-old yet expected of him as a member of the Air Force.
“He’s not your typical teenager, “said Tech. Sgt. Jodi May, 28th CPTS chief of customer service. “He’s not the type to go out looking for a party. He always puts his responsibilities ahead of his extra-curricular activities. In our career, sometimes we have to deal with unfriendly customers, and he never loses his temper or bearing. He’s just a great Airman, and I wish we had more like him.”
“Just the coach I had taught me the value of common courtesies, “Hughes said, “and wrestling gives you a mindset to go out and get things done. So far that’s come in handy in pushing myself to do what needs to get done. If someone asks me to do something, I put my heart into it and do the best I can rather than just doing the minimum.”
While Hughes believes some may look at that effort as merely an attempt to get in the good graces of his superiors, he doesn’t let it bother him. Besides, he’s established a pattern of hard work garnering favorable results.
As an elementary student starting out in wrestling, a fellow student and wrestler at his school had built a reputation as a quality grappler at Hughes’ weight class. The other wrestler shortly moved to a neighboring school. In part because of the respect his teammates showed the other wrestler for his abilities, he made it a personal goal to someday beat his peer on the mat.
That chance came during his junior year when Hughes took his opponent to overtime before eventually losing on a reversal. The other wrestler went on to win the state title in their weight class that year.
Despite not completely fulfilling his goal of winning the match, Hughes realized how far his sweat and effort had brought him. It also helped him realize how far sweat and effort could bring him in the future, as well as teaching him how to deal with failure.
“That match boosted my confidence to see what level I’d gotten to, “Hughes said. “It showed me that even though you might not accomplish all your goals, if you work hard enough, you can go far.”
If his own history is any indication, that same attitude should lead him to most of his Air Force goals as well.
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