20 QUESTIONS WITH... Nick Simmons
Nick Simmons has had a breakthrough season. Simmons was a four-time All-American at Michigan State and had made four U.S. National Freestyle Teams entering this year. But Simmons had never won a national championship. Until this year.
Simmons downed Sam Hazewinkel in a tough three-match series to win the U.S. World Team Trials in June in Oklahoma City.
Simmons placed fifth at the World Championships in Istanbul,
Turkey, qualifying the U.S. for the Olympics at 55 kg/121 lbs. Simmons, who competes for the Sunkist Kids, trains in Corvallis, Oregon, at the Northwest Regional Training Center. Simmons, 28, took time out of his busy schedule to answer 20 Questions for USA Wrestler: 1. Favorite movie? Transformers
2. Favorite TV show? Friends
3. What kind of music do you listen to in your iPod before you compete? Rock and Rap
4. Favorite food when not watching your weight? Chips and queso
5. Favorite sport other than wrestling? Golf
6. Favorite athlete to watch in another sport? Henrik Zetterberg of the Detroit Red Wings 7. Favorite wrestler and why?
Grew up a John Smith and Kevin Jackson fan. Just love how these two wrestled and wanted to be on top of the World like those guys.
8. Best piece of advice you've received? Don’t change how you wrestle, just perfect it and add to it. 9. What kind of advice would you give a younger wrestler who is just taking up the sport? Let the hard times drive you to get better. 10. Best moment as a wrestler so far? Making my first World Team this year. 11. Name three people you would love to invite to dinner? Nolan Ryan, Joe Montana, Tiger Woods 12. What is one thing you are afraid of? Spiders
13. How did you become involved in wrestling? My dad started my brother, Andy, and I when we were five and six years old.
14. What did it mean to make your first World Team? It meant a lot to me, but I’m training to be a World champion. 15. What is one thing about you most people don’t know? I was pretty shy up until college. 16. Any idea of what you will do after your competitive career is over? Would like to be a head coach and continue to better and work on my iGrappler iPhone app. 17. What do you do to pass the time during a long road
Nick Simmons made his first U.S. World Team in freestyle wrestling this year. Simmons was a four-time All-American at Michigan State and is a five-time U.S. National Team member. John Sachs photo.
trip? Watch movies and work on my app. 18. Coolest place you've traveled to and why? Two-week exchange I took to Germany when I was in high school. It was wrestling mixed with vacation. 19. What would it mean to make the 2012 Olympic Team? It would mean everything. I have dreamed about that since I was a kid.
20. Funniest guy on the team and why? J.D. Bergman. Just the little things he does and the impres- sions he does.
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