The One and Only Coach Roberts
Wrestling assistant coach mentors players on and off the mat
January 23, 2022
NAHS assistant wrestling coach James Roberts, has more to his story than just wrestling.
“I have been a mentor on and off the mat for our wrestlers and, with being the only coach in the building, I get to see them outside of the wrestling room and build bonds with them,” Coach Roberts said.
This is Roberts’ second year at NAHS as a coach for the wrestling team and he says he enjoys being a positive influence on his team.
“It has been great! Getting to be a positive role model to the young men and women who dedicate themselves to the oldest olympic sport is so rewarding,” Roberts said.
Senior girls wrestler Sierra Zamorano was ranked fourth in the state during the preseason; Roberts is expecting great things this year.
“So far, my favorite memory was being at semi-state last year and watching our seniors give it their all. I’m hoping to see some of our wrestlers at state this year,” Roberts said.
Best said by John Whitmore, “Coaching is unlocking a person’s potential to maximize their growth”. Through Roberts’ two years of coaching here at NAHS, he’s been able to express that his favorite accomplishment is recruiting new people.
“As of right now, my favorite accomplishment is just the recruiting that I have been doing. I have gotten some students to come try a sport they didn’t know anything about and enjoy it,” Roberts said.
Roberts has been able to watch his hard working team pull through and stride closer and closer to the top as they learn and persevere together.
This sport saved my life. I wrestled for five years in Louisville. Through the adversity I had to battle through when wrestling, I was prepared to battle through anything. — Wrestling Assistant Coach
Roberts hasn’t just fought for his team but also for himself and just has a true connection to the sport.
“This sport saved my life. I wrestled for five years in Louisville. Through the adversity I had to battle through when wrestling, I was prepared to battle through anything,” Roberts said.
From 2019 to 2020, Roberts went through four brain surgeries to remove a 3.8 centimeter tumor that was pressed against his brain stem, as well as many other complications.
“I was bedridden for several weeks and the majority of my muscle mass was atrophied. I had to relearn how to walk again. Being secluded to a wheelchair and the aid of others, put things in perspective, this life is a constant battle and with wrestling, I knew how to not give up,” Roberts said.
When asked, how do you keep life on and off the mat separated, Roberts went on to explain that life on and off the mat doesn’t need that separation.
“Wrestling is a sport that can prepare you for anything in your life,” Roberts said.
