Wrestling has always been a significant part of Josue Cedeno Mendoza’s life. The sport was introduced to him at a young age from his parents and has been in his life ever since. After wrestling for years, he placed number six this year in the Texas state championship.
Although he has practiced other sports, Mendoza has been participating in or has been around wrestling since he was a young boy.
“As far back as I can remember, I’ve seen the sport since my parents did it too,” Mendoza said. “Although I’ve participated in more than eight sports, I’ve been wrestling since I was six years old. However, I stopped and started again when I arrived in the United States at 16 years old as a freshman.”
He’s only in high school, but Mendoza already has a long list of accomplishments. Last year, he placed on the Texas Greco/Freestyle National Team and represented Texas at the Oklahoma Greco Nationals.
“This year, thank God, I finished my high school career placing sixth in the state of Texas,” Mendoza said. “I’m still waiting to see how the Freestyle and Greco season goes.”
Training is obviously a very important thing for athletes to incorporate into their everyday lives. This training helps them be performance ready on the day of competitions.
“When the high school season started I began training twice a day, in the morning at school and in the evening at home or the club,” Mendoza said. “After the season ended, though, I trained once a day. My workouts are based on intense cardio and practicing a lot of wrestling techniques.”
Finding a healthy balance between training and school can be difficult for a student athlete. Mendoza has maintained an impressive routine throughout the school year.
Competition days can be hard for students. A lot of stress about how you perform can affect you. Years of practice have paid off for Mendoza, as he knows how to prepare for the big day.
“I prepare a week before the important day by thinking about tactics, practicing and perfecting them,” Mendoza said. “During the day of the competition, I listen to a lot of music to clear my mind and not be tense.”
Every athlete has a goal they keep in mind that they’re working up to. It;s important to have a vision to motivate you.
“I plan to at least wrestle in college and become a national champion,” Mendoza said. “But the bigger goal is to go to the Olympics or World Cup while representing my country.”
It’s difficult to handle such an intense sport and school work alone. Fortunately, through his journey, Mendoza has had many supporters to help him get to where he is now.
“Clearly the first is God. Before every match, I pray to God to give me strength and protect me from all injury,” Mendoza said. “Second would be my parents and my family, and then my coaches after them.”
Mendoza has put in years of hard work and determination to be where he is today, with a State Championship medal. His dedication does not go unnoticed, and we can only imagine what awards he will win later on in his career.