THE FRONT ROW with JIM LANDERS: Loveless a pacesetter for NIC wrestling
North Idaho College's 197-pound sophomore, Chandler Loveless, is off to a great start this wrestling year.
He is fresh off a win over Montana State-Northern NAIA All-American opponent from last Saturday's dual — someone he lost to last year.
Different mindset is what he attributes the victory to. He has taken who his opponent is and what they have accomplished out of the equation. Now his approach is all that Chandler is going to do on the mat. That is all that occupies his mind: "My wrestling."
LOVELESS' WRESLING came pretty naturally considering his family in Payson, Utah. Great grandpa was a member of Payson's first wrestling team. His grandpa was one of the first state champions for Payson High School. His dad was a 3-time state placer and a member of the first Payson team to win the state high school wrestling title.
Currently the Loveless family has laid claim to 14 Utah individual state championships. That has to rank real high in the most family titles in the state of Utah.
This family heritage almost had Chandler quitting the sport of wrestling after his sophomore year of high school. He was highly ranked and did not wrestle close to the expectations he had for himself in the state tournament.
Following the tournament he declared he was quitting wrestling. His father left the decision totally up to him. He answered by placing fourth in the state his junior year. His senior year he lost by one point in the finals.
THIS BEING his last year at NIC, his goal is to win a team title and individual title as well. This will be accomplished by Chandler Loveless being the hardest worker in practice and to wrestle with no regard for his competition's past accomplishments.
NIC faces Big Bend Community College, in its first year with a wrestling program, tonight at 6 p.m. at Christensen Gym. Come see if Chandler can uphold the Loveless family heritage.
Jim Landers is a longtime NIC wrestling supporter. Contact Jim at jimlanders83814@gmail.com
Jim Landers