Unassuming Junior Summons His Powers
January 13, 2005
By SHAWN COURCHESNE, Courant Staff Writer
WINDSOR — He is a force in his sport, traveling a path many in the wrestling community say is destined to lead to the highest levels of competition.
And yet, Mike Powers walks in virtual anonymity.
In Connecticut and New England wrestling circles his name is well-known. Yet many who speak of him in revered tones most likely couldn’t pick him out of a crowd.
Even in the wrestling room during practice at Loomis Chaffee School, Powers unassumingly blends in. He shows no evidence that behind the reserved nature and almost painfully shy personality is one of the best high school wrestlers in the country.
“There’s no clue that he’s an amazing wrestler other than the fact that he’s got the body, “Loomis wrestling coach T.J. Reap said. “He’s chiseled when he takes his shirt off, but he doesn’t carry himself like he’s the big man on campus in here. Not even close.”
Ralph Powers describes his son as invisible.
“Some of the funniest times happen when we’re at a tournament or something like that and someone will be there and they’ll be saying something like, `Have you heard of this kid Mike Powers,’ “Ralph Powers said. “And Mike will be standing right there. I’ve seen people come right up and ask him if he knows anything about that kid Mike Powers. What’s funny is sometimes he’ll say, `No, I’ve never heard of him.'”
Powers need not boast. His accomplishments on the mat speak for him.
Powers, a junior from Enfield, has won New England titles in his first two years, last year at 135 pounds and in 2003 at 119. He followed up last year’s title with a runner-up finish at the prep school national tournament.
Last summer at the Cadet Junior Nationals in Fargo, N.D., Powers finished second at 140 pounds in the Greco-Roman competition. The showing earned him an open invitation to train at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo.
That invitation is one more step toward the goal that Powers says he has had since he began wrestling.
When asked where he sees the sport taking him, Powers quietly and succinctly lays out the plan.
“The Olympics is where I want to get to, “he said.
Rodney Smith, a Springfield native and Greco-Roman bronze medalist at 1491/2 pounds in the 1992 Olympics, has worked with Powers over the last three years.
“I think he’s progressing on a great schedule, “Smith said. “The ultimate goal is the Olympics and I think at the level he’s at right now he’s definitely in the top 1 percent of high school kids in the nation, and that’s where he needs to be. What’s scary is that I think he still hasn’t even tapped into his true ability.”
Powers began wrestling at age 5 in a recreational program in Enfield.
His father quickly took notice that his skills were far beyond those of other young wrestlers in town. Ralph Powers, who had never wrestled and had no formal training in coaching, took it upon himself to create a wrestling club to attract the best competition in the region.
Northeast Elite Wrestling was born. For much of its existence the club has been a vagabond group, setting up wherever it could find space. Three years ago a permanent home was finally found with the opening of a 4,500-square-foot facility in Enfield.
“It’s been a 100 percent labor of love, “said Ralph Powers, a postal worker. “I would say I’ve been one day away from divorce and one day away from insanity many times trying to keep this thing going. I have nothing left to give. But it’s me doing this in recognition of Mike’s talent, ability and dedication.”
Northeast Elite has grown into a bustling center for youth wrestling and one of the top off-season training facilities for elite high school wrestlers in the state.
“I wish I would have had an opportunity to train somewhere like that around here when I was young, “Smith said. “You can see the benefits when you get good wrestlers in one place at the same time on a consistent basis. It’s a breeding ground for champions. It’s really a great story. Ralph educated himself about the science of wrestling and made himself into a great teacher for Mike.”
In New England, the wrestlers who garner the most attention are from public schools. But on the national stage, many of the best high school programs are at prep and private schools.
It was that factor that led Powers to Loomis, where Reap has led the team to three consecutive New England team titles.
Ralph Powers had originally wanted to send his son to Blair Academy in Blairstown, N.J., the school regarded as having the top wrestling program in the country.
“When Mike was in about the fifth grade, I was turned on to Blair Academy and he would have been more than welcome there, “Ralph Powers said. “But his mom [Virginia] really didn’t want to see him that far from home. One of my quirks was that if he couldn’t go to a school that was one of the best he should go somewhere where he could face the best. Going to Loomis gives him that opportunity. Wrestling at Loomis allows him to go face the best at tournaments around the country, something he wouldn’t get to do in a public school like Enfield or Fermi.”
In December, Powers competed in the Beast of the East tournament in Delaware, considered the top high school tournament in the nation. In the semifinals, Powers beat Mitch Smith of Ripley, W.Va., ranked by numerous wrestling magazines as the No.2 140-pounder in the country. Powers lost 4-3 in the championship match.
What amazes Reap most about Powers is his style, which much like his personality is far from flamboyant.
“He’s quick. He’s got great balance. He’s very basic, but he’s technically sound, “Reap said. “He stays in good position and he knows how to press. When he picks up the intensity of a match he’s up on his toes and pressing. It’s difficult for a lot of kids, whether it’s an inexperienced wrestler or even an experienced wrestler, to keep pace with him.
“He’s probably the most knowledgeable wrestler I have in this room and yet he uses the most basic moves constantly. It goes to show that it’s not how much you know, it’s how well you know what you know.”
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