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translated into wrestling speak. “Right now, the classes I’ve been tak- ing are about fire and Hazmat sciences, but I’ll be taking Firefighter 1 or an EMT course next semester,” she said. While the majority of the resident ath- letes in the men’s freestyle program are college graduates or athletes who have exhausted collegiate eligibility, it’s not uncommon for women’s freestylers and resident Greco-Roman wrestlers to be in school while training at the OTC. It’s something Conder has to balance – being an elite athlete and a college stu- dent at the same time. After traveling and competing on the
World Cup Team for the first time, Conder had to find that balance while traveling. “I spent a lot of time doing homework. Anytime we weren’t in practice, I was doing homework,” she said. As for her World Cup performance, Conder feels there’s room to improve. “I thought it was a good experience, but I didn’t wrestle as well as I was hop- ing. It was good for me and good to see the competition overseas and learn more about their styles and how each country is different,” she said. “I got so much more out of it than I would an American tournament. There are so many different countries and styles.” Off the mat, Conder can be pretty quiet, opening up to only those whom she knows well, a trait she took from her father.
“My dad and I are very close with a lot of things,” she said. “Growing up, my dad would point to his head or to his heart while coaching me and wouldn’t say a word and I knew exactly what he meant. He told me to use my heart and use my mind out there and go give it my best. Some people would wonder how I under- stood what he meant without him saying a word.”
In working with head women’s coach
Terry Steiner, Conder sees a few similari- ties as well as some subtle differences between her current coach and her dad. “Terry can be very quiet,” she said. “But he can be very on you. I get along with him pretty well. Sometimes I think he’s a little too quiet, but he’s pretty funny to be around.”
Conder sees many of the same traits wrestling presents to what firefighting will lead to. “It’s a lot of hard work and a lot of dedi- cation,” she said. “You’re always going out there not knowing what to expect and not knowing what’s going to happen. With wrestling, there are so many different moves and counters you have to be pre-
Conder places second at the Dave Schultz Memorial. Larry Slater photo.
pared for.
“With firefighting, there’s so many emergencies and hazards and you never know what’s going to happen when you get that call,” said Conder.
But can a diminutive presence be a successful firefighter? Heavy gear, oxy- gen tanks and fire hoses are troublesome for even the most fit of firefighters. “Everything is actually size-fitted for you. I don’t think I’ve had any problems with it,” said Conder. “They’ve let me walk around with the gear and the breathing apparatus and I’ve been able to walk around with it. It was interesting because
Conder plans to drop down to 48 kg for the Olympic Trials. Larry Slater photo.
a lot of people who want to be firefighters freak out when they have the mask on. It covers your whole face, so some can get a bit claustrophobic. I didn’t freak out.” Conder has been visiting local fire sta- tions in Colorado Springs to get a better feel of the profession, hoping to prepare for a full course load when the time comes.
“I haven’t taken any of the physicals yet. Right now, for classes, I’ve had to go talk to firefighters and go to the stations and ask questions about my classes,” she said. “I think I’ll be pretty well-pre- pared and they’ve told me a lot about their physicals.
“They say with my background, I’ll have no problem with the physical aspect of it,” said Conder.
From training in Colorado Springs, tak- ing classes and being a self-described Scooby Doo and Ninja Turtle fanatic, Conder finds time to get home to Washington, where her personality shows through with her best friend Paula Barick. “We wear sunglasses for the fun of pic- tures at night and we’d go out and try to find the craziest outfits we can wear just to see people’s reactions,” said Conder. It’s probably not a stretch to think Conder might even slap on a Raphael Ninja Turtle sticker on her fire helmet when the time comes. It’d be appropriate. “Raphael growing up was always my favorite, with the attitude and the hard- headedness,” she said. “I’m definitely a hard-headed person.”
15 USA Wrestler
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