A simple beginning:
Jacob (Jake) Deitchler was born in Mayville, ND to newlyweds Jason and Racheal Deitchler. Both Jason and Racheal were 19 yr-olds attending college at Mayville State University. Jason was attending the university on an athletic scholarship for wrestling. Jake was born late in the night on December 1st and his father had to leave the next morning for a wrestling tournament n out of town. Therefore Jake's initial years were spent in around the wrestling room and the wrestling family. There were many times when young Jake was brought up to the wrestling room and weight room because there was no money for babysitters. Many other athletes helped care for Jake in those early years and his training with pull-ups, dumb bells and wrestling moves had already started.
Initial wrestling years:
At around 6 years old, Jake moved back to Minnesota with his family from North Carolina where his father had been working. One of the main reasons the family moved from NC was the lack of wrestling exposure in the public schools. While in Coon Rapids MN, Jake experienced his first wrestling practices, which he really enjoyed. He competed only in the small youth practices in the 1st and 2nd grades and started to compete at local tournaments in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. Jake was only wrestling the folk style season and was not allowed to train in the international styles of Greco-Roman & Freestyle. Jake's father had seen too many kids get pushed when they were young and then learn to dislike the sport in their later years, he didn't want Jake to experience this.
The Love of Wrestling:
Jake's father had found a great youth coach, Tim Murray, in the 5th & 6th grades in Anoka MN. Some family ties had convinced Jake to come to Anoka and work out with the team, which cemented his love of the sport. Jake's family moved to Ramsey, MN to be a part of the wrestling family Jake had been working with. By 7th grade, Jake had started on the Varsity wrestling team at Anoka High School. He took many losses that year, but with tons of encouragement from Coach Todd Springer, teammates, and his family, Jake started to find small successes. His 8th grade year was a breakthrough year. He had an above average record for the year, but his breakthrough came in making it to the State tournament. He was not expected to make it there by anyone, but he had written down two months earlier that he would be in the State Tournament that year and had focused on it every night. By tournament time, Jake had to beat a senior that had placed the previous year to make it to State. Even though it appeared it wasn't going to happen, it did. Jake made it to State and placed his 8th Grade year.
High School Wresting:
The start of the High School was a growing process for Jake. He was winning the majority of the matches, but took a couple losses in 9th grade at the MN High School State tournament that really hurt. The bright spot was when Brandon Paulson came into the picture, an Olympic Silver Medalist and a 3 time MN State Champion from Anoka. At the MN State Tournament when Jake was 15yrs old, Brandon told Jakes father that if Jake was ready to listen and work he would start to coach him and he would never loose another match at a HS State Tournament. And ever since that talk, Jake lost only 1 High School match out of the next 100+ matches, and won the next 3 MN State Wrestling titles. The old proverb came true, when the pupil is ready, the teacher will appear. This teacher was exactly what Jake was looking for.
Beginning in High School Jake’s focus started to change from other pursuits to mainly concentrating on wrestling. Jake’s father had always encouraged him to enjoy all aspects of life, but with his increased excitement of wrestling, Jake’s other hobbies of Football, Motocross, Fishing and Hunting were all starting to be pushed aside and his success in wrestling was really taking off. Jake found out that he could compete and train at a whole new level after the high school season and his success could come at his pace. In 9th Grade Jake won two Cadet national championships, one in Folkstyle and one in Greco. Jake’s hard training and determination was really paying off, he was competing in twice as many matches after the High School season than he was during season. By the end of 10th grade Jake really started to enjoy the Greco style of wrestling better than the others. His father preferred him to keep an open mind, and he even thought that Jake was more talented in other styles, but Greco just began to flow with Jake. He spent time at the USOEC, a Greco facility at Northern MI University and time at the Olympic Training Center in Co Springs. And Jake and Brandon began to working on seeing how far Jake could really go in Greco.
Jake ended up competing in Beijing China at the Junior Worlds and in Sofia, Bulgaria at the Junior European Championships to gain international experience. With Jake’s High School Senior year coming to an end, Jake wanted to get ready for Junior Worlds and a possible shot to get into the Olympic Trials. Jake’s father talked to the High School principal and let him know how much it would mean if Jake could complete his credits and graduate early to train full time for a possible shot at competing with Olympic athletes. The principal agreed and Jake was full steam ahead, he left the day after winning his 3rd MN State Wrestling title to train and compete at a Greco tournament in Bulgaria. At that time Jake’s Greco skills were a little rusty and he didn’t win the tournament, but his desire was solidified. He came back to train full time Greco and to take his best shot at Junior Worlds and the Olympic Trials. Jake worked with Brandon daily on technique sessions and game planning on how to create his personalized style of wrestling. He went on to beat some of the top US Senior Greco athletes at Senior Nationals in Las Vegas and qualified to be in the Olympic Trials. Jake desire to win was increasing with his success on the mat. He went on to win the Junior Team trials in Co Springs to be on the Junior World team and began training for the Olympic Trials. Jake began increasing his practice times with Brandon and workout sessions, to be in top form at the Olympic Trials. When Olympic Team Trial competition came, Jake was ready to compete. He knew that he had worked extremely hard and dedicated his time to accomplish his goals and knew he was ready to compete with anyone in the nation, even though many others didn’t understand who he was. During the 2008 Olympic Team Trials, Jake worked extremely hard to stick to the game plan and keep the correct mentality to be in top form. With the months and years of technical and metal growth, Jake was able to win against overwhelming odds. He now looks forward to take that tenacity and drive to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing China.
This story has been one of surprise and questions to outsiders, but to Jake and his support team this story has been developing for years. Jake’s story is by far not complete and will be exciting to watch, as it unfolds in the months and years to come.