THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: September 28, 2013

For the past 21 years, North Idaho College has been able to lean on head athletic trainer Randy Boswell to look out for the best interests of its athletes on and off the field.

Now, he’s got the attention of some of the top wrestlers around the nation.

BOSWELL WAS selected by Team USA Freestyle Wrestling head coach Zeke Jones to accompany the team to Budapest, Hungary, for the World Championships Sept. 16-22.

“It’s a bit of a process,” Boswell said. “I traveled with some of the members to Russia and Armenia and then they asked if I could come with them. Usually, you’ve got to be appointed by a committee, but Zeke asked for me directly.”

First things first, Boswell had to clear it with his bosses at NIC — as well as his wife, Jennifer, first.

All were thrilled for him.

“They all said to go out and chase your dream,” Boswell said.

Boswell left for training in Belarus at the start of September, where the team trained for 10 days in Russia before flying for the championships in Hungary.

“It was a great opportunity,” Boswell said. “I’m lucky that I’ve got people in my corner and thankful for the folks at North Idaho College. They said it was something that they said they’d support and it’s the second most prestigious event next to the Olympics. It’s an honor.”

Boswell has the option to remain with the team through the rest of the competition cycle, which runs through the next Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

“The whole thing is an honor,” Boswell said. “At the end, the coaches said they’d love for me to stay with them through the end of the cycle and see what happens. That would be a dream come true.”

FOLLOWING AN injury to freestyle superstar Jordan Burroughs, it was up to Boswell to help get him on the mat for the championships.

“On the last day of training before he left for Russia, he fractured his ankle,” Boswell said. “Only a handful of people knew that and we set out a plan to support and make it comfortable.”

Burroughs, who wrestled at Nebraska, broke his left ankle after jumping off the wall during sprints at the conclusion of a practice in Colorado Springs.

“I had great communication with him and his college coach, Mark Manning,” Boswell said. “Once I got to Budapest, I started asking him what he could and couldn’t do. He’s a tough kid. It happened on Aug. 22 and on Aug. 23, he was having surgery on it. On Sept. 18, he won the 74-kilogram title, and I never saw him limp once.”

Keeping the injury quiet was a top priority for Team USA.

“We had to keep it very private,” Boswell said. “We didn’t ice him in public, tape him or anything. He’s the Michael Jordan of wrestling and everywhere he goes, there’s cameras around him.”

Even those on Team USA didn’t know the full severity of the injury.

“I think since it was at the end of practice, and everyone had left, they just thought he’d sprained it,” Boswell said. “I was rooming with the team chiropractor and massage therapist, and I couldn’t say a word to them. When I first saw him, his ankle was tender to the touch, but he said he felt pretty good. He wanted to wear a brace, but it was too bulky, so we just taped him up.”

Burroughs, 25, defeated Ezzatollah Akbarizarinkolaei of Iran for his second straight world championship.

“Nobody knew how bad it was until he won the world title,” Boswell said. “The doctors told him six weeks, and he was back on the mat in three weeks. Mark Manning told him he’d win a title on a broken ankle, and I said ‘your coach never doubted you’ when he walked down the steps. To be among some of the best wrestlers in the U.S. and the world, and they trust me with their care, it means a lot.”

THE NEXT event in the cycle is U.S. Open in April, should Boswell be able to join the team again.

“This isn’t taking anything away from NIC,” Boswell said. “I was the best ambassador to NIC in Budapest. I wear the shirt proudly and told the folks there about the programs we have and where we’re located. It’s just another great opportunity and I’m looking forward to being the head trainer for NIC. I’m always looking for tips from others to bring back here to pass on to our trainers.”

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com.