Wrestling runs deep in the Greenwood family of Livermore, Colo.
After all, this is a family that has two sons--Jacob and Job--currently wrestling at the University of Wyoming. Another son, Billy, is an eighth grade wrestler, and likely will wrestle as a collegian. Daughter Hattie, the best athlete of the family according to her brothers, is the only departure. She is a hurdler in track and a rugby player.
Job, a sophomore, will be in action Saturday when the Pokes host West Virginia (10 a.m.) and Arizona State (noon) in the UniWyo.
You're talking a lot of "special" when you talk about the Greenwoods. This family turned a tragedy into a legacy that has been helping young wrestlers throughout the Front Range and beyond for over a decade.
In 2008, the Greenwoods lost their youngest son, Nicholas, a nightmarish experience for any parent. But mom and dad (Bernadette and Bill) created an awesome way to perpetuate their son's memory. They decided to organize a foundation, in his honor, designed to give young wrestlers a place to train and hone their skills.
Known as GRIT (Grace, Righteousness, Intensity, Toughness) the Foundation has helped hundreds of young wrestlers from age five through senior-level athletes.
"Dad and mom thought it was the best way to honor Nicholas," says Job, who is nationally ranked for the Pokes at 133 pounds. "My parents operate the Foundation, with dad as the head coach, and mom doing much of the paper work. I think GRIT has become important in the wrestling community, and we are all very proud of it."
Wyoming Head Coach Mark Branch got to know the family when he first came to Laramie, primarily through GRIT, and has had an excellent relationship with the Greenwoods ever since.
"They are amazing people," says Branch of the Greenwoods. "GRIT has produced a lot of good wrestlers, like their own sons. Jacob and Job are as fine a young people as you'll ever meet. They are polite, have great work ethic, and are excellent in the classroom. They are model student-athletes, and good wrestlers."
Jacob, who is two years older than Job, has been sidelined for most of this season with injury. "Jacob is definitely really cool," says his younger brother. "It's so ironic, I missed last season with my injury (an ACL tear in his knee) and now he's been banged up almost this entire year. I really look up to him. I know this season has been hard on him. Because of what I went through, I know what he's going through. But that doesn't stop him from coaching me up. When he gets healthy, he'll be back on the mat, and we look forward to having us both competing together again."
Jacob and his wife Shayla have been married for three years and are proud parents of a daughter, Libby, with another daughter on the way. "He's very mature, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for him," Job says of his brother.
Job wrestles at 133 pounds and Jacob at 149. "We've been consistently about 20 pounds apart but it has never been a big enough gap that we couldn't wrestle one another. There were times when we probably got too competitive, like a few fist fights, but it has made us both better. He's been a great teaching partner."
Job is currently 7-2 on the season, and is on a six-match winning streak. He began the campaign by facing three straight top 15 opponents. He earned his first career win as a Cowboy by pinning Central Michigan's Drew Marten in 52 seconds. Martin was ranked 14th in the country at the time.
Last time out he defeated No. 15-ranked Jared Van Vleet of Air Force with a last-second takedown to seal the win.
"Job has a very exciting wrestling style," says Branch. "We call him an upper-body wrestler. Not a lot of wrestlers like that style, it's a little more difficult, but he's very effective with it."
"I have wrestled a lot of Greco Roman which is all upper body," Job says. "It's just a more comfortable style for me."
While growing up Job wanted to play football. But by the eighth grade he knew his size would probably preclude him from putting on the pads. So, at that point in his life he committed to wrestling.
"I love the sport of wrestling," he says. "There's so many things to love about it. I love how hard it is. It's a very demanding sport, and takes everything you have to be good at it. I love getting better. I love when you hit a move in a match that you've been working hard at. It's like all of the hard work is worth it because a light suddenly goes on."
Wrestling is certainly a family affair in the Greenwood clan. The family, and extended family, are able to come up from Livermore (near Ft. Collins) to watch the brothers compete for the Pokes.
"All of our family lives within 15 miles of each other, I would say. I mean when we wrestle the WHOLE family attends, aunts, uncles, cousins everybody. I actually get a little nervous when everyone shows up to a match. But of course it really helps me too. They're loud. Believe me, I can always hear my mom," he says proudly.
Job says he's been pleased with his progress on the mat. But admits that he has to stay focused and continue to improve. "It's been a lot of hard work, but it's been fun. I'm keeping the mindset that not every day is promised, so just enjoy it."
It has been a tough road for Job in that before his career ever really began he suffered the knee injury. It happened in warm-ups prior to a Cowboy practice in the wrestling room. "It was a change of direction injury like a football player would suffer, and I tore it," he says. "It was definitely hard because you are there every day but you can't really do anything, can't be a part of everything and can't help your teammates. You kind of feel like an outsider. But all that time and through all the rehab, I challenged myself to stay focused, to get better, and keep my goals in mind. I think the redshirt year helped me, and I think I'm better because of that injury."
Job is majoring in Kinesiology, and would like to coach wrestling when his competitive career reaches its end. "I have put a good chunk of my life into this sport. I want to stay in it, and help young people with it, whether on the high school or college level."
I have a feeling that at some point, GRIT will benefit from both Jacob and Job Greenwood. The University of Wyoming certainly has.
