Wrestling for it all

Asher Saunders doesn’t quite know how he ended up where he did, but he doesn’t hesitate to give all the glory to God.

The family motto tattooed to Asher’s back is a constant reminder to him of his goals.

The biblical passage 2 Corinthians 4:9 reminds him that no matter what happens to him, he is not forsaken or destroyed — an important reminder to a 17-year-old wrestler who has battled academic, physical and family difficulties, yet will go to Vienna this summer to compete in the decades-old Youth Friendship Games.

Asher, who attends Coast High School, will represent the United States in the Olympic-style sports festival, part of the People to People Sports Ambassador Program created by President Eisenhower to promote international camaraderie.

“If you put kids and games together, eventually the parents are going to get involved in changing the world,� said Kimber Saunders, Asher’s mother.

Competition and hard work are nothing new to Asher, who won top awards while a U.S. Naval Sea Cadet.

When Asher went to a grueling wrestling camp, he blew out his knee, but still calls the camp one of the most important experiences of his life.

He and his teammates carried large rocks in wrestling stance for 30 minutes at one point of the camp.

“At the end of that, I just broke the old me and made a new me,� he said.

Asher has only been wrestling for about two years, but quickly attracted the attention of some of the area’s top coaches.

He got into the sport when his friend Brandon encouraged him to try it out.

At Asher’s first tryout, he was told that he just made the famous varsity team at Calvary Chapel Santa Ana High School.

After going from nowhere to varsity, Asher said he quickly decided to tell his coaches that he wanted to move down to junior varsity, so he could learn more about the sport before representing his school in important competitions.

He knew that if he made a mistake, it would affect his entire team, he said.

Asher stayed after practice and trained every chance he had, earning awards and recognition, and always giving his all.

“Some people say it’s a natural talent, but I give all the credit to my coach,� Asher said.

While a member of the famous Churchboyz wrestling team, Asher caught the eye of Coach Arsen Aleksanyan, who has since taken him into private training.

Asher hopes to compete in Mixed Martial Arts when he becomes an adult, but doesn’t plan to put all his eggs in one basket.

“My dream in life is to become an MMA fighter,� Asher said.

“But I know I need a degree. There’s nowhere to go after college wrestling; either you make it into the Olympics, or you don’t.� So he hopes to attend Arizona State University.

“He’s kind of like an old soul in a young body,� Kimber Saunders said. “He’s a good kid.�

She recalled a recent time when her son told an elderly woman how nice she looked, for no reason other than to make her smile.

Asher also is a World War II history buff.

But for now, he is focusing on being in top condition for Vienna.

“It became real when we went down to get his passport,� Kimber Saunders said.

Asher has already solicited many sponsors for his trip, which costs $5,500; he only needs about $2,000 now. Youth wishing to participate in the Games pay their own way, he said.

“It’s going to be a great experience that I can look back on in my 30s when I’m coaching,� Asher said.

To help send Asher to the Friendship Games, e-mail Kimber Saunders at [email protected].