Going for the gold

Kenneth Ma

It was during a snowboarding trip in Colorado last year when Heath

Sims almost had to change careers.

The 28-year-old Greco-Roman wrestler from Huntington Beach suffered a

lacerated kidney from a fall during the outing. Besides his life, it

threatened his ability to compete at the U.S. Olympic trials this year.

People close to Sims were beginning to believe his days as an amateur

wrestler and Olympic hopeful were over.

But with intense training and an unwavering motivation to succeed,

Sims was rehabilitated, and he trained hard for another shot at the

Olympics. In June, Sims earned a spot on the 16-member U.S Olympic team

at the Dallas trials.

“It was almost hard to believe. It was pretty overwhelming,” said

Sims, a 1989 graduate of Woodbridge High School in Irvine.

After 15 years of Greco-Roman wrestling, Sims has finally achieved his

lifelong dream of competing against the world’s best on its biggest

stage. This month, Sims will represent the United States in the 152-pound

division at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.And it’s a dream

come true.

“I’m excited, but I am really focused,” he said.

But the road to the Olympics for Sims meant overcoming many obstacles.

Seeing his Olympic dream slip away in the past had become all too common.

Sims discovered the sport as a freshman in high school, when he joined

the San Clemente Jets, an amateur wrestling club that taught youngsters

freestyle and Greco-Roman styles. As a member of the Jets, he met Bob

Anderson, who has been his coach ever since.

He quickly found his calling in the Greco-Roman style, which, unlike

freestyle, does not permit the wrestler to use his legs for offensive

moves. These wrestlers advance by pinning their opponents or outscoring

them with moves.

Sims won two consecutive state championship, in 1988 and 1989, at

Woodbridge High.

Choosing the sport instead of higher education, Sims went on to become

a junior national wrestling team member in 1989 and a world team member

in 1990.

In 1992, Sims was heading toward the Olympic trials with confidence

after getting married and having his daughter, Skye. But a problematic

shoulder forced him into surgery right before the event, ending his quest

for the Olympics -- that year.

Then in 1996, as the Olympic Games in Atlanta approached, Sims was in

the midst of a divorce. Because of the emotional distraction and excess

weight he had gained over the years, Sims barely missed a spot on the

Olympic team.

“Going through a divorce is very difficult for you emotionally,”

Anderson said. “It is a negative factor for any athlete to perform their

best.”

After the disappointment of the trials, Sims quit the sport for a

while to support his daughter and decide on his life’s direction. But a

love of the sport and an intense determination to achieve his Olympic

dream brought him back.

“My goal is to win an Olympic medal,” he said. “You have to tell

yourself you are training to win a gold medal or otherwise not show up.”

Focus and motivation, Anderson said, carried Sims through the lows of

his career to a spot on this year’s Olympic roster.

USA Wrestling spokesman Gary Abbott said Sims’ experience is one of

his biggest strengths as a wrestler.

“He has been doing this for many years and paid his dues,” Abbott

said.

Anderson said he believes Sims has a realistic chance of winning the

gold medal this year.

Sims said he has proven to himself over the years that he has the

ability to succeed, and -- win or lose at the Olympics -- he’ll take

cherished memories home, where he plans to finish his bachelor’s degree

at Cal State Fullerton.