Adam Jackson was the Class 3A state runner-up at 152 pounds a year ago. He would like nothing more than to finish his prep career by taking the next step: becoming a state champion. Here is a look at Jackson:
Three words my friends or teammates might use to describe me? Unique; persistent; good-natured.
How do you balance school and sports during the year? Easily, with time management and discipline. My 4.0 GPA demonstrates this.
How did you get started in wrestling? My dad wrestled and he introduced me and my younger brother to wrestling. I've known coach (Henry) Gerten and coach (Brett) Larson (my high school coaches) since I started wrestling in first grade. They are both huge advocates of the sport and have motivated me to get my wrestling to the level it's at now.
At my first varsity practice, I felt ... overwhelmed! I was an eighth-grader. Coach Gerten threw me right in with a senior captain and I got my butt kicked, but doing those sorts of things made me a better wrestler. That senior captain (Josh Baier) became a mentor to me and a good friend. We still keep in touch.
What is the best sports advice you ever received? "There are two types of pain in life, the pain of discipline and the pain of regret." I've felt both and regret hurts 100 times more.
It's Christmas! What's the best gift you have ever received on this holiday? When I was 9 or 10, my grandparents gave me and my brother 50 one-dollar bills. The bills were all crumpled up in a container and when we opened the box my grandpa had it rigged somehow so that all the dollar bills shot out at once. It was great. Me and my brother rolled around in the dollars and threw them around the room at each other. I'd actually love to get that gift again!
RON HAGGSTROM
