Wrestler's goals lead to world of opportunity

Note to any children who might be perusing the sports section this morning: If you believe in Santa Claus, stop reading here.

While the guys who would have been his Gophers teammates sweated in the wrestling room at the Bierman Building last month, Jake Deitchler traveled to a Swedish city near the Arctic Circle. There, in the vicinity of the North Pole, he ate reindeer meat. And, he reported, it was delicious.

Deitchler finished his trip by doing something more in line with the Christmas spirit. He decorated himself with a shiny object: his first medal in an international wrestling competition. After deciding to forgo a scholarship with the Gophers, Deitchler said he has no regrets about choosing Olympic training over college wrestling.

"I was thinking about that overseas," said Deitchler, who earned a bronze medal in the Greco-Roman 74-kilogram class at Sweden's Haparanda Cup. "Not a day goes by that I'm not loving what I do.

"It feels great to be competing again, learning new things and seeing I'm right there with everybody in my weight class. I'm very happy with my decision."

Minnesota's two wrestling Olympians both have roared back this fall after missing the podium at last summer's Beijing Games. Ali Bernard of New Ulm finished third in voting for the U.S. Olympic Committee's female athlete of the month for November. She won all three international tournaments she entered, earning gold in France, Canada and New York, and was runner-up to skiing star and Minnesota native Lindsey Vonn and tennis player Venus Williams for the USOC award.

Deitchler moved from his home in Ramsey to the USOC training center in Colorado Springs. He had signed a letter of intent to wrestle at the U, but after finishing 12th in Beijing, his goals shifted. With the aim of becoming an Olympic gold medalist in Greco-Roman, Deitchler chose to train fulltime with USA Wrestling.

Minnesotans Brandon Paulson and Dan Chandler continue to coach him, along with national Greco-Roman coaches Steve Fraser and Momir Petkovic. Deitchler lives in an apartment at the training center and practices twice a day; beginning in January, he also will take college classes.

Chandler arranged the European tournament tour for Deitchler and Chaska's Chas Betts, who trains at the U.S. Olympic Education Center in Marquette, Mich.

"It was really fun being over there," said Deitchler, who moved up one weight class from 66 to 74 kilograms this fall. "We trained for 10 days with guys from a club in Gothenburg, Sweden. We had a really nice apartment, and the city reminded me of Duluth.

"The last three years, talking to my coaches, I've heard all these stories. Now I'm having some experiences and stories that will last the rest of my life, just like they do. To get this kind of international experience is great for me."

Betts and Deitchler awoke before dawn to visit a fish market. They went to an art museum, joined a crowd gawking at Mick Jagger at a hotel, swapped workout gear with their new Swedish friends and ate Italian food on Thanksgiving when they couldn't find a traditional meal.

Over the next few months, Deitchler will wrestle in Iran, Cuba and Turkey, guaranteeing another batch of stories. "The goal is for him to get 20 to 25 international matches in from November to mid-March," said Fraser, head coach of the U.S. Greco-Roman program. "He is a wonderful, positive kid, very hungry to learn the sport. Jake is maturing very fast."

Deitchler remains a gutsy, driven wrestler. In a recent 90-minute "grind match" at the U.S. training center, he got to choose his opponent -- and he picked Fraser, a 1984 Olympic gold medalist at 90 kilograms.

As international competition makes him a better athlete, it's also broadening him in other ways. Deitchler won three of four matches at the Haparanda Cup to earn the bronze medal. He also received a DVD player, which he discovered would not work in the United States.

He briefly considered giving it to his family as a joke gift. "Then I saw this Ukrainian wrestler getting off the bus," Deitchler said. "They don't have very much in that country, so I gave it to him. He was so ecstatic.

"Traveling has helped me realize how blessed we are in America, and how blessed I am. I love what I'm doing."

Rachel Blount • rblount@startribune.com