Waunakee’s Colton Grindle: A study in perseverance
WAUNAKEE, Wis. (BVM) — Recent Waunakee High School graduate Colton Grindle is a young man who displays the attributes necessary to produce a successful life: discipline, mental toughness, physical toughness, organization, preparation, dedication, desire, prudence, loyalty, humility and persuasiveness.
In a world in need of good news and inspiration, Grindle provides it to Waunakee and beyond. Grindle tore his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his left knee prior to the Warriors’ first football game in 2019. For athletes, ACL tears nearly always end seasons. Told by doctors that surgery would cause him to miss both his final football and wrestling campaigns, Grindle decided to delay surgery. Through diligent physical therapy work, he returned midway through the football season. However, during Waunakee’s Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) playoff run, he injured the meniscus in the same knee. Unable to avoid surgery this time, his meniscus was repaired the morning of the Division 2 state title game at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., and was able to join his teammates on the sideline for the game.
Throw in pure love of the game to the list of Grindle’s distinctive qualities. He missed the start of the wrestling season but wasn’t going to let the injuries keep him from the mat.
“No matter how bad the injury was,” Grindle said, “I wasn’t going to give up on my football and wrestling teams.”
Not only did he participate with his Warriors teammates on the wrestling mat, he successfully defended his Badger Conference championship in the 170-pound weight class. Of course, it would not been possible without a combination of grit and mental acuity. Grindle also made it to the WIAA state tournament, completing a rare feat of reaching the state’s biggest stage in two sports in one school year.
It is obvious that loyalty to team, friends and family are part of what drives Grindle.
“I honestly believe that I have the best teammates you could ask for, they really are like family to me,” Grindle said. “I owe all of my success to my family, teammates, and coaches. They have been the people to teach me everything I know and would push me to make new limits and strive for new goals. That’s what made me so mentally and physically strong. I was surrounded by people that told me that ‘good enough’ isn’t a thing, to always strive to be better, because there’s always someone better than you.”
Grindle also possesses the power of persuasion. Consider that he was able to convince many people in his life that he should play despite having what is normally a debilitating injury.
This incredible display of character did not go unnoticed outside of Waunakee. In an example of astute recruiting of a high-character athlete, University of Wisconsin-Platteville offered Grindle an opportunity to play football and wrestle for the Pioneers in the WIAC.
The COVID-19 pandemic may actually be a bit of a blessing in Grindle’s case. After undergoing successful surgery to repair his ACL in March, the canceled football season will allow Grindle to get acclimated to college life and be ready for the wrestling season later in fall and winter.
“My goals for Platteville is that I just want to be the best possible football player, wrestler, and student that I can be,” Grindle said. “I want to represent the school the best I can and just enjoy doing the sports that I love.”
Multiple knee injuries spawned a greater understanding of his body for Grindle. He was inspired by longtime Waunakee athletic trainer Matt Uftring, known as “T-Matt.”
“I couldn’t have had a senior season at all without T-Matt. T-Matt is the best sports trainer out there,” Grindle said. “He was always behind my decision to play this year even though other people said it couldn’t be done. He consistently pushed me this year to make sure that I would get back to doing the things I loved.”
Grindle turned adversity into opportunity. Through his disciplined physical therapy work, he developed some valuable first-hand knowledge of the physical therapy field. A young man with a plan and the inherent trait to help others, Grindle will major in physical therapy at Platteville, with a future eye on a doctorate in kinesiology.
Waunakee’s Class of 2020 will be remembered as one of the best in school history. With two state finals appearances and one title, the football team lost only four games and the wrestling team won four consecutive Badger Conference championships for the first time in program history.
Now becoming an NCAA Division III dual-sport athlete, Grindle will continue to be a fine representative of his community and family at UW-Platteville.
