High hopes for Eastern View freshman, VA wrestling champion Brett Clatterbaugh
CULPEPER, Va. — Among the toughest sports in the world, but greatly under-appreciated in the United States, the combative sport of wrestling is both and art and a science. Collegiate wrestling (also known as scholastic wrestling or folkstyle wrestling) is practiced by athletes at the university level, at high schools, middle schools, and in youth leagues across the country. This style of wrestling differs significantly from freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling that one sees in the Olympic Games. Whatever the style, wrestling is not a sport for the faint of heart.
I wrestled all four years of high school and two years in college. All three of my younger brothers wrestled as well. So have several of my nephews. The youngest is still at it, and he is making quite a name for himself. We call him “The Beast.” (Some people will understand how funny it is for a wrestling family to have the last name of Fish.) When I heard that freshman at Eastern View High School had won first place in the state championship wrestling tournament, I just had to tell his story.
Brett Clatterbaugh is a 16-year-old three-sport athlete, who has been wrestling since he was 6. He says that football is his first love and that he hopes to earn a football scholarship to college. In his freshman season, Brett had 153 tackles – the second most in Virginia. But when he talks about wrestling, his words seem to transcend the language of sports.
Brett’s father wrestled in high school, so grappling is in his blood. At six years old, he was encouraged to try wrestling by family friend Coach Eric Brown. Culpeper residents might remember that Coach Brown led the Eastern View wrestling team to a state championship in 2018. However, people might not know that he also coached youth wrestling. I asked Brett who taught him to wrestle so well. He replied, “95% of the credit goes to Eric Brown.”
When I asked Brett about his personal record, he told me that for many years he wrestled between 75 and 100 matches per year. He didn’t really keep track of wins and losses back then, but he learned early on that he didn’t like losing. He got serious about perfecting his craft as a wrestler. As a result, his high school record after one season stands at 32 wins and 0 losses. His personal goals within the sport of wrestling include winning three more state titles, as well as winning many more open tournaments. Ultimately, he wants to be a great teammate and leader.
Brett told me that his greatest challenge so far has been to keep finding the highest level of competition. That’s one reason he likes to wrestle in open tournaments. At the state and national level, these events draw top competitors from all over the state or country. Brett explained, “Competition in wrestling comes with travel, but this can be difficult to manage. So, I do everything in my power to better myself and get to the tournaments where the best competition can be found.”
Asked what he loves about the sport of wrestling, Bret replied, “I love the mental grind….” He went on to explain, “Mental grind has to do with the mindset you must have to become great at wrestling. As an individual sport, wrestling is like hand-to-hand combat. To be defeated by another man one-on-one is humiliating. You gotta hate to lose. I hate to lose.” Brett observed that the grind is not only mental, but it’s physical as well. Wrestling practice is extremely hard work. Many athletes who excel at other sports can’t handle a wrestling workout. Brett confided, “You gotta go into the wrestling room knowing that it’s gonna suck.”
We talked about getting ready to walk out onto the mat. He said before a wrestling meet starts, he likes to get his heart pumping hard for about 20 minutes. Then he practices his best moves with a partner. He finishes by taking some time to be quiet and recover. Four or five matches before it is his turn to wrestling, Bret begins to go inward, listening to music. Walking back and forth, he mentally rehearses the match, going over his plan for victory. This old wrestler and the young champion agreed, “You gotta be the winner before you step out onto the mat.”
Asked about how the lessons of wrestling apply to life, Brett demonstrated wisdom beyond his years. “I have made many mistakes while competing,” he shared. “Every mistake I make is always a learning moment that I use refine and fix in practice.” Brett says he has learned from wrestling that he can do anything and compete against anybody, as long as he works hard and has confidence in himself. “The best piece of advice I’ve received from a coach,” he recalled, “was when I was younger and went into the high school wrestling room and got beat up every day. I’d walk out of there with tears in my eyes, thinking of quitting. Coach Brown always told me that it will all pay off and I was doing a great job. That stuck with me and made me the athlete I am today.” Brett even attributes his 153 tackles on the football field this year to the stamina, mental toughness, and the will to win that he has developed through wrestling.
Asled about life away from wrestling, Brett said, “Outside of my sport, I love to play football and go to recruiting camps and workouts to gain better exposure for myself as a potential college athlete.” Recruiting camps are one-day events, during which football players demonstrated their speed, strength, stamina, and skills. There are timed sprints, drills, 1-on-1 contests, and 7-on-7 games. Brett said these camps, “Help get your name out. Showcase your abilities.” He has lined up 15 of these for June, most of them by invitation. And… he’s only a freshman!
Brett also enjoys hunting, fishing, and just having a good time with his “boys.” Mostly they fish rivers for trout and ponds for bass. As for hunting, it’s deer in the fall, rabbit in February. In the spring its time to hunt turkey. They hunt most family farms, all private land around Culpeper.
One thing Brett would like to say to his family, friends, coaches, and everybody who continues to support him in his athletic pursuits and his life: “Thank you!”
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