Penn State National Champ shares his faith...

Quentin Wright 2011 National Champion shares his faith during an interview 20 Questions and more with the Penn State media..

21) What effect does your Christian faith have upon your wrestling & attitude in life, especially when you were having your ups & downs this year? Tom, TWT; Buck, TOM
It made all the difference in the world. I really had to focus when I look back on this whole season. And the people around me, they all believed in & had faith in me too. I tell people that accepting Jesus Christ is the most important thing in this world not matter what else you do. Everything else falls behind that. That is how I live my life.
No body is ever perfect. You are going to make mistakes; you are going to make poor
decisions in life just like in a wrestling match. But the sun is going to come up tomorrow & there is going to be a new day. Life is not made to be lived perfectly. Sometimes you are going to make bad decisions & you are going to have to bounce back up. Don’t make excuses but enjoy the journey. And that is what makes it so memorable: the journey, the process.

22) Did you ever find yourself asking God in your prayers or conversations, why this was happening? Or did you just have faith that there was a plan for your life?
Oh definitely. I do that everyday, especially right after I got hurt & all these things were going on I was like “WHAT IS GOING ON? WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?” I tried to do everything right & it just seemed like I am failing the most. Had I known this was going to happen, well, looking back on it, there are so many different lessons that I learned this season that have shaped me, formed me as a person. In the long run it was all for the better but it was really rough going through it. I will be looking back on this for the rest of my life.

23) What do you think was the most important lesson you learned?
Just how to be positive you know? Have a good attitude & not to blame others. And really all that could be summed up into ENJOYING LIFE. Don’t do what you don’t enjoy because you have no motivation if you don’t enjoy it. And that is what I really learned. That life is mean to be enjoyed. No matter what you are going through always enjoy it. You don’t have to enjoy what is happening to you but you can find a way to be happy with regards to where you are & look for tomorrow. You can always have hope no matter what. God is always there for you so I just rely on him. He is there to help you & to catch you & form you as a person.

24) Did you have a particular passage in the Bible you looked to, to help you through this troubling time?
Yes, Psalms 91. I was reading that over & over. Especially when it came to wrestling because it talks about God being the father & just stay under him & he is going to protect you. 1000 may at your right hand, 10,000 may fall, but keep him near you as he will lift you up. He will hold you up. Um that’s not quoted exactly right but that is the main gist of it where he is there to protect you through your whole life no matter what you do. You have to rely on him as you can’t do anything alone. He is apart of everything you do.


25) Often our parent’s views shape our political opinions & spiritual beliefs. At one point did your faith become your own? H, The Mat
It was when I went to a Christian camp, an outdoor camp in Pennsylvania. I was about 12 years old when I started doing everything on my own, doing it all myself. I was just trying to grow as a person. And that has been really a key factor in enjoying life. Just understanding sometimes good things happen, sometimes bad things happen but who you are as a person determines what you make of it. How you treat people is important. From that comes the blessings.
If you treat people good then you are probably going to have a good life, there are going to be blessings coming your way. And that’s what my whole life is based off of, that comes first. Everything else is really just helps you enjoy life. That’s what life is meant for: enjoyment. Life teaches us how to have a relationship with God, with Jesus. We have to realize that we can’t do this on our own & that we need him. If we try to ignore him, we are going to be miserable. We don’t understand things but if we get to know him & our relationship with him grows, he starts to teach you in life, through the Bible, you start to understand things. And life becomes more enjoyable.

Brent Metcalf Clip

Short Clip of Brent Metcalf talking about his relationship with Christ and the influence Athletes In Action has had on his life.

Brent was a 2 time national Champion of the University of Iowa, and is currently ranked #1 on the senior level. He has wrestled in Iran, Azerbaijan, Cuba and Russia twice in the last year representing the U.S. of senior world level teams.

Interview with Strikeforce's Trevor Prangley

A little excerpt from our March 2011 Prayer letter, where I got to do a phone interview Trevor Prangley an All-American Wrestler from North Idaho Junior College and Strikeforce fighter who is featured in the new AIA Wrestling DVD...

(Rob) Tell me about your life?
(Prangley) I grew up in South Africa, my dad was a “closet Christian” he read his Bible but didn't lead his family by it. I lost in double overtime to just miss making the Olympic Team, so I decided to move to the United States to further my training in wrestling.

How did you become a Christian?
A good friend was badly injured in a car wreck suffering brain damage, and an injury to his arm. As a support we started taking him to a local church.The pastor of the church befriended me and started building into my life. I had always believed in God, but at the time I was not living with my wife. I accepted Christ after talking with the pastor over a period of time and moved back to Texas. I really felt God tugging at my heart. Normally I am a pretty laid back guy, but I just felt anxious all the time. I know now it was God prodding me to move back to Idaho and reconcile with my wife. I moved back and patched things up with my wife who was gracious enough to take me back. God was really working in me.

How has becoming a Christian helped your wrestling and fighting?    Perspective. I now know that there is much more to life than just wrestling and fighting. I am using the gifts and abilities God gave me in something that I love. But I am also excited to see where God takes me in the next chapter of my life. If I had been at this stage of my career (near the end) before becoming a Christian I would be devastated. But now I know that as I get older there is much more to life than fighting. Also when I am the most focused on God I fight my best. Its not that God grants me victory over my opponent rather, when I am in a right relationship with God I am at peace and the most focused.

How have you been able to use your stage as a athlete to share your faith in Christ? People take the opinion of top sports figures pretty highly. Much more than they should really. People ask about my life all the time and I am able to tell them about my faith in God. I tell them you really shouldn’t model your life after me because I make mistakes all the time. Model your life after God. I have also started a Bible Study wednesday nights at the gym.We have had 4 or 5 guys accept Christ as a result of this.There is a great need for the young men to hear about God.

To see more of Trevor and other wrestlers sharing their faith click on the link to the right title Unfading Glory DVD

Micah Burak to World Team Trials

Athletes In Action's own Micah Burak has received a wild card to the 2011 World Team Trials. Micah is one of just ten wrestlers who received wild cards. Micah and his older brother Gabe both wrestled for University of Penn this year and made the round of 12. Gabe was selected as NWCA All Academic First Team.