91原创鈥檚 Jack McEwen won gold in the U19 Canadian Wrestling Championships held on the last weekend of March.

The thing is, the Grade 12 student, who won in the 110kg weight class, wasn鈥檛 a likely candidate to win a national championship.

He doesn鈥檛 have a long history with the sport. While he wrestled some in Grade 9, it wasn鈥檛 until this year that he became more dedicated to the sport.

And he didn鈥檛 have trained guidance until recently, until a coach saw him compete a few months ago and offered to help him.

鈥淗e kind of adopted me at zones when he saw I didn鈥檛 have a coach,鈥� McEwean explained.

And the biggest factor that should have prevented him from winning a national title 鈥� an injury in the match just prior.

鈥淚 had a lot of pain in my ankle,鈥� he explained.

But when he went to bed the night of the gold-medal win, magnitude of what he had accomplished struck him.

鈥淚 was very proud of what I did,鈥� McEwen said.

What he did have going for him were a couple of winning ingredients.

A second-place win at the provincials is what spurred him in his efforts at the nationals, which ere held March 25 and 26 in Vancouver. After losing out in the finals, he wasn鈥檛 sure if he was going to nationals but decided to use it as motivation.

鈥淭hat sort of sparked something in me,鈥� the D.W. Poppy Secondary student said.

McEwen is no stranger to sports, and that鈥檚 the other ingredient that helped him take gold.

鈥淚鈥檝e been doing Jujitsu since I was a little kid,鈥� he explained.

Then there鈥檚 submission wrestling and MMA.

The rugby season is just starting so he鈥檚 looking forward to returning to the pitch, and he captains the Vancouver Sharks AAA hockey team.

Being a fan of such varied sports provides a few benefits, namely physical conditioning but also experience with the different types of pressures involved in competition.

鈥淚t definitely builds like a base and stamina. It helps me stay balanced, especially rugby,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t builds the mindset of a wrestler.鈥�

McEwen said he enjoys physical sports, but noted that wrestling is unique. He said it鈥檚 the perfect starting point for anyone who wants to try out contact sports.

鈥淭he wrestling community is amazing,鈥� he noted. 鈥淓verybody is very polite. It鈥檚 a nice environment for anybody just starting wrestling.鈥�

When he鈥檚 not competing, he鈥檚 training. McEwen said he loves working out at the gym, just not always the outcome.

鈥淚鈥檓 sore,鈥� he chuckled.

McEwen is not sure where his wrestling will take him. He鈥檚 not sure if the national win qualifies him for anything else but would cherish a chance at the Olympics. He said he can see himself coaching wrestling in the future as well.

His varied sports endeavours are sure to help his schooling.

鈥淚鈥檝e had [post-secondary] offers for hockey. I know I have a future if I wanted to with rugby,鈥� he said.

And if not sports, well, he鈥檚 got other ambitions. He鈥檚 applied to a firefighter volunteer program which would provide a chance to help out at a local firehall, and learn the ins-and-outs of his dream job.

鈥淚 want to be a firefighter in 91原创,鈥� McEwen said.

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