Can dreams really become reality? It depends on how badly you want it- or just how hard you are willing to work for it. For Chris Belmonte, at times where his dreams started to fade, he found a way to persevere and achieve a childhood goal.
Chris has been in love with wrestling since he was four years old. From a young age, Chris always had the same goal…to be the best. He found out real quick that this would not be easy, and he was perfectly fine with that.
Chris credits his dad and Coach Cory Proper for helping him get into the sport he loves. His dad told him wrestling was just like the WWE which Chris loved. Belmonte told me that his first wrestling practice, he cried because he realized wrestling was not really anything like the WWE. Instead of leaving and forgetting all about wrestling, Coach Proper was there to push him into the fire.
“My coach, Cory Proper, pushed me into the group of kids wrestling, and from that day on, I never missed another practice,”Chris said.
Chris began varsity wrestling as an 8th grader, finishing with a very impressive 20-10 record showing everyone, including himself, that he has a very bright future ahead. Chris told me, “By the end of eighth grade, wrestling had become a huge part of my life. I won nationals and became a high school national champion, which led to me getting invited to wrestle at one of the top prep schools in Florida.”
Being a high school national champion as an 8th grader opened a lot of doors for Chris that he did not think could be opened.
Chris and his family decided to move to Florida in August before his freshman year, leaving the place he had always called home. However, the move brought some problems for Chris.
“Things were very different from what we expected,” Chris said. “I was only 13 years old wrestling against much older athletes, and it became mentally difficult being away from home.”
Being 13 years old entering your freshman year competing against 17-18 year olds daily is a challenge made even more difficult because Chris was over one thousand miles away from home. Chris and his family had to think of what was best for not only his career, but also for his mental status as he was losing confidence fast.
By December, Chris had moved back to New York, back to New Hartford right in time for his freshman season of wrestling. This move was best for Chris’s mental state as he told me, “Coming back helped me regain confidence.”
Chris’s freshman season was not much different from his prior season: he is a winner and winning is what he does. Chris went 29-2 his freshman season, winning sectionals and qualifying for the New York state tournament; a spot he dreamed of reaching. Although he did not win, he performed well and had a major step up from his 8th grade season.
Chris was not satisfied, only being a freshman and making the state tournament showed just how possible winning the championship was and just how close he was to making it a reality.
The sophomore campaign took a turn for the worst, as Chris tore his ACL at a tournament in West Virginia. This was a low point for Chris, not knowing if he would be able to wrestle for his sophomore year made him question a lot about his future with wrestling. Chris described the recovery process as “one of the hardest things I’ve ever gone through mentally and physically. I struggled with not knowing if I would ever wrestle the same again.”
One thing was for sure though, Chris would not let this stop him from accomplishing his goals. “Eventually, I pushed through rehab, returned to wrestling, and fell back in love with the sport,” he said.
Chris told me the people around him and his mindset were what helped him push through rehab. “Wrestling taught me discipline, and even after surgeries and setbacks, I never wanted to quit. I stayed focused on getting back on the mat and proving to myself that I could still compete at a high level,” he said.
Chris’s sophomore year included earning a wild 46-4 record, winning another class title and coming in third in the state tournament.
The junior season was a big eye opener for Chris; it showed him that even after his injury he could still perform at a high level and compete for a state championship.
“In my junior year, I made the state finals after upsetting the number one seed in the semifinals,” Chris said. “Even though I lost in the finals, it proved to me that I could still compete at a high level.”
It all came down to his senior season–his last chance to accomplish a childhood dream of winning the state championship. This season proved to be his best yet, by a long shot. Chris went 50-1 on the season, winning in his class, winning sectionals, and winning the tournament he has worked his entire life to win.
Chris not only won 50 matches, he dominated them, pinning roughly half of his opponents in under a minute. That’s not luck, that’s years and years of hard work fighting through injuries and times where he didn’t know if he could keep going. Whatever happened, no obstacle would stop Chris from accomplishing what he told himself he would win.
Chris had turned his lifelong dream into a reality, and it wasn’t easy. Chris’s path to becoming a state champion included wins over nationally ranked competition. By the end of his high school career, Chris would become the 11th ranked wrestler– not in New York, but in the entire country. He would also be able to stand #1 on the podium, something he had always wanted.
Chris told me his journey in wrestling taught him resilience more than anything.
“From moving across the country, battling injuries, and overcoming mental struggles, every challenge helped shape the person and athlete I became,” he said.
This journey is a testament to hard work and determination. Chris’ story inspires others to realize they can accomplish anything they put their mind to, if they work for it and don’t let anything stop them.
Some of Chris’s good friends Sam Beaton and Alen Agicic described Chris as “strong, big, fierce, unique, and funny.”
Agicic described watching Chris wrestle: “It’s like watching a 300 pound ballerina– the guy moves so elegant it’s beautiful.”
With his high school career wrapped up, as a nationally ranked wrestler. Chris’s journey is far from over as he looks to what is ahead.
“What’s next for me is to continue wrestling in college. I’m currently being recruited to The Ohio State University!” he said.
Ohio State is one of the most prestigious wrestling schools in the entire country, competing in the Big 10 and competing for national titles every year.
Chris told me that wrestling is an amazing sport that teaches people a lot more than just how to fight.
“I would recommend wrestling because it teaches discipline, confidence, and mental toughness”. Chris said. “It helps young people learn how to handle pressure, work hard, and overcome challenges. Wrestling made me stronger as both an athlete and a person.”
From a kid from a small town in upstate New York to a nationally ranked state champion-all because of a dream, and an obsession to accomplish it.
