20 QUESTIONS WITH... R.C. Johnson
R.C. Johnson is one of the top Greco-Roman wrestlers in the United States.
Johnson, a Minnesota native, represented the U.S. at the 2009 World Championships in Herning, Denmark. Johnson placed second at the 2010 U.S. World Team Trials before being hampered by injuries last season. Johnson, 29, is healthy again and ready to make a run at qualifying for the 2012 Olympic Games at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. He has won the Sunkist Kids International, New York Athletic Club International and U.S. Open this season. He took time out of his busy schedule to answer 20 questions
for USA Wrestler. 1. Favorite movie? Usual Suspects. Dark Knight. 300. 2. Favorite TV show? Family Guy. House. Naruto Shippuuden. Bleach. 3. What kind of music do you listen to in your iPod before you compete? Mozart. Lil Wayne. Eminem. Dethklok. 4. Favorite food when not watching your weight? Alaskan Snow Crab legs
5. Favorite sport other than wrestling? To watch: Football
6. Favorite athlete to watch in another sport? I don't really follow sports that closely, so it's hard to say. 7. Favorite wrestler and why?
I know so many great wrestlers, it would be hard to name a favorite.
8. Best piece of advice you've received? When I was growing up, my dad would always say, “Get an education. You can do whatever you want besides, but once you get an education you can always take care of yourself.” 9. What kind of advice would you give a younger wrestler who is just taking up the sport? A quote I heard from U.S. Army Coach Shon Lewis: “Rocks are hard, water is wet, wrestling is tough.” I'd tell them that the sport is tough, but also very rewarding. 10. Best moment as a wrestler so far? I can't think of just one, but I've wrestled in two different cir- cuses (one in France and one in Russia), it's awesome to be on a stage like that where everyone is cheering (or booing) you. The best moments are of the little things, the people you meet along the way in different countries, and being able to explore the World in a way that very very few people get to. 11. Name three people you would love to invite to dinner? Obama, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffett. 12. What is one thing you are afraid of? Not trying. You'll never know what you can do if you don't try. 13. How did you become involved in wrestling? I was bullied into it by an older wrestler in high school during my freshman football season. Best decision I ever made. 14. What do you like best about training in Colorado? The altitude and the ease of access to all the training support. 15. What is one thing about you most people don't know? That I'm a complete nerd and am close to having my PhD in Computer Science. 16. Any idea of what you will do after your competitive
R.C. Johnson battles for position at the 2009 World Championships in Herning, Denmark. Tony Rotundo photo.
career is over?
I'm currently finishing up my PhD in Computer Science spe- cializing in security and will hopefully have a job by the time wrestling is done for me. 17. What do you do to pass the time during a road trip? DVDs and my research. My research is challenging to say the least, so I spend most of my free time working on them. I also like to watch different TV shows by the season on DVD. 18. Coolest place you've traveled to and why? Too many cool places to name only one. I've been to a super old bath house in Moscow, Russia, the white sandy beaches of Nice, France, the Great Wall of China, beaches of Cuba, etc. 19. What would it mean to make the 2012 Olympic Team? It would mean quite a bit. I've been training hard for quite some time with the goal of making an Olympic Team and its the highest honor in sport, to be able to represent the USA. 20. Funniest guy on the team and why? Dremiel Byers. His pre-tournament hibernation is legendary and awesome, and no one can tell a good story like him.
21 USA Wrestler
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