Clayton Foster has his sights set on nothing but future victories
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by Alexandra Pernice
Clayton Foster of the USA controls Ehsan Lashgari of Iran on the way to a victory during the 2014 Freestyle World Cup in Los Angeles. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors.
For 2013 World Team Trials runner-up Clayton Foster, wrestling was more than just a sport-it was a family affair.
“I’d say I started wrestling when I was about four or five. My dad was the high school coach in my hometown. He did the little kid’s club and everything, so I got into wrestling pretty early,” said Foster.
The youngest of four children, Foster was an outdoorsy kid who enjoyed growing up with his brothers and sisters in Kamiah, Idaho. Although it was nice to have a tight-knit family, being the last child certainly came with its difficulties.
“I obviously got picked on the most, being the youngest kid in our family,” said Foster.
His father, who was the head wrestling coach at Kamiah High School, mentored Foster in his early wrestling career. While he was constantly reminded of the challenges wrestling provided for him, he found a positive influence in always having his coach around.
“Having my dad as my coach was tough,” said Foster. “Imagine living with your coach-that’s what I had to work with growing up. I couldn’t get away with anything. He knew everything that I was doing, all of the time. It was hard. It turned out to be a positive thing, though. There were definitely times where we fought about my wrestling, but all in all it was a good experience.”
That positive experience proved to be fruitful, helping Foster win three Idaho state championship titles throughout his high school career at Kamiah. He also started to see his success extend past the folkstyle season, after he became the 2006 Junior National champion at Fargo Nationals.
“Just getting out and getting that freestyle experience really helped me in all parts of my wrestling. Since I was in junior high school, I had been wrestling freestyle after the school season had ended. I felt like it helped me a lot because it was just a different kind of experience. When you go to places like Fargo Nationals and other national tournaments, and you start placing or winning, you get these college coaches coming to talk to you. When I actually won Fargo Nationals my junior year of high school, that’s when I knew I was good. And when these coaches started talking to me, I started realizing that I was really starting to succeed,” said Foster.
With his high school career ending, he had a choice to make – either go to college and not wrestle, or continue to be a high-caliber athlete. For this decision, however, his father would have been happy either way.
“My dad didn’t push me to wrestle in college, actually. As long as I went on to get an education, and get my college degree, that’s all he really wanted,” said Foster.
He decided on Oklahoma State University, where he found the combination of strong athletics programs and great academics to be ideal for his pursuit of higher education.
“I went to Oklahoma State mainly because of the head wrestling coach, John Smith. I idolized him all the time when I was little. The whole place too, the facilities and the academics really made it the perfect school in my mind,” said Foster.
There was a certain kind of dynamic that drew him to Oklahoma State as well. An undeniable energy was present from not only the team itself, but from the Cowboys’ fans as well.
“I think the team was pretty tight-knit,” said Foster. “We all had a bit of a brotherhood together, sure. Our team was definitely a great group. Honestly, though, the fans were probably one of the best parts of being a wrestler for Oklahoma State. They provide such a great support system, and they’re a ton of fun. There is definitely a really great, compassionate wrestling community that they have there in Stillwater,” said Foster.
He took a redshirt year in 2008 and brought a wealth of potential to the wrestling room at Oklahoma State. His skills and experience were something that the coaching staff would eventually hone into greatness.
“I learned a lot from John, obviously, he helped me out a lot. Chris Pendleton, when he was there, was also a big influence in my career at Oklahoma State. As a whole, the entire coaching staff was a tremendous help to me, but I would probably give most of my credit to John Smith. He just corrected things for me. He really helped me out and got me on my feet,” said Foster.
His skills began to improve tremendously, and after becoming the 2011 NCAA runner-up, he realized that this was only the beginning of a thriving career. With graduation in sight, he began to think about wrestling beyond his college years.
“I had a talk with Chris Pendleton one day and he told me I should continue to wrestle after school. I was actually pretty set on getting a job at a feed store back in my hometown and just moving past wrestling. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t take that road. I think I made a really positive decision by continuing to wrestle,” said Foster.
Foster continued to train after leaving Oklahoma State, and eventually found himself working out with the National Freestyle team in Colorado Springs, Colo. later on in 2012. His training base is at the University of Wyoming, where the college team is led by former Oklahoma State Cowboy Mark Branch. However, he finds a great deal of support in his teammates at the Olympic Training Center.
“It’s nice to have other people to train with. When I’m here with other people who are chasing the same goal, it’s easy to work hard. I really enjoy getting to work with my teammates and my workout partners. All of the coaches help out a lot. Working out with Jordan Burroughs is a great help, and so are my teammates who are also at my weight. It’s great because we are all working to make each other better,” said Foster.
While training with Team USA, Foster has realized that a great deal of his progression during his senior years has been due to mental toughness, something he believes he lacked in his younger seasons.
“My mental game has significantly changed throughout my Senior career. I don’t think I was very confident in my younger years when it came to wrestling. I’m still pretty nervous until I actually get out on the mat and shake hands, because afterwards you don’t really have a choice. My experiences have really shaped that confidence, and the training at the OTC really helps too,” said Foster.
By far, he believes that his best performance with the freestyle team was at the 2014 World Cup in Los Angeles, Calif. There, he won every match he competed in, with his second match against Iran’s Ehsan Lashgari to be the most important to him.
“The second match I wrestled was against an Iranian [Lashgari] who placed third at the World Championships the year before. When I beat him, I thought ‘dang, I can really do this’. It really stuck out to me as a moment that let me know I was improving, and that I was good at what I was doing,” said Foster.
Foster won the match against Lashgari, 7-5, joining Jordan Burroughs and Brent Metcalf as U.S. winners in the Iran dual. Foster is on the 2015 World Cup team in Los Angeles, along with World Team member Ed Ruth at 86 kg/190 lbs.
He has made recent waves on the international level as well, earning a silver medal at the respected Cerro Pelado International in Havana, Cuba back in February.
Now, he is actively looking for more success as he continues through his Senior career. For Foster, there is no time to be humble about getting to the next step. He wants to stay as hungry as possible.
“First is the U.S. Open, then winning the U.S. Trials, then competing in the World Championships and being a World champ, and then the Olympics in 2016. I have really positive feelings going into this next Olympic year, and I definitely see myself making the team for Rio. I plan for the long-term, and I’m not just taking this day-by-day. Everybody has their doubts, but you can’t let that affect you when you’re working out every day. I’m looking at that big goal of 2016, and I’m going to make it happen,” said Foster.
He is so focused on the 2016 Olympic Games that he has no clear idea of where he would like his wrestling career to take him in the future. While it is difficult for him to picture where wrestling will take him after that, he is certainly grateful for where it has brought him already.
“Wrestling has given me a huge support system. I’ve got a lot of people behind me who help me out. I want to show that what my supporters are doing is helping me out a lot. It’s hard to go wrong with the discipline and the structure that wrestling can provide a growing kid, and the sport truly helps all throughout life,” said Foster.
For 2013 World Team Trials runner-up Clayton Foster, wrestling was more than just a sport-it was a family affair.
“I’d say I started wrestling when I was about four or five. My dad was the high school coach in my hometown. He did the little kid’s club and everything, so I got into wrestling pretty early,” said Foster.
The youngest of four children, Foster was an outdoorsy kid who enjoyed growing up with his brothers and sisters in Kamiah, Idaho. Although it was nice to have a tight-knit family, being the last child certainly came with its difficulties.
“I obviously got picked on the most, being the youngest kid in our family,” said Foster.
His father, who was the head wrestling coach at Kamiah High School, mentored Foster in his early wrestling career. While he was constantly reminded of the challenges wrestling provided for him, he found a positive influence in always having his coach around.
“Having my dad as my coach was tough,” said Foster. “Imagine living with your coach-that’s what I had to work with growing up. I couldn’t get away with anything. He knew everything that I was doing, all of the time. It was hard. It turned out to be a positive thing, though. There were definitely times where we fought about my wrestling, but all in all it was a good experience.”
That positive experience proved to be fruitful, helping Foster win three Idaho state championship titles throughout his high school career at Kamiah. He also started to see his success extend past the folkstyle season, after he became the 2006 Junior National champion at Fargo Nationals.
“Just getting out and getting that freestyle experience really helped me in all parts of my wrestling. Since I was in junior high school, I had been wrestling freestyle after the school season had ended. I felt like it helped me a lot because it was just a different kind of experience. When you go to places like Fargo Nationals and other national tournaments, and you start placing or winning, you get these college coaches coming to talk to you. When I actually won Fargo Nationals my junior year of high school, that’s when I knew I was good. And when these coaches started talking to me, I started realizing that I was really starting to succeed,” said Foster.
With his high school career ending, he had a choice to make – either go to college and not wrestle, or continue to be a high-caliber athlete. For this decision, however, his father would have been happy either way.
“My dad didn’t push me to wrestle in college, actually. As long as I went on to get an education, and get my college degree, that’s all he really wanted,” said Foster.
He decided on Oklahoma State University, where he found the combination of strong athletics programs and great academics to be ideal for his pursuit of higher education.
“I went to Oklahoma State mainly because of the head wrestling coach, John Smith. I idolized him all the time when I was little. The whole place too, the facilities and the academics really made it the perfect school in my mind,” said Foster.
There was a certain kind of dynamic that drew him to Oklahoma State as well. An undeniable energy was present from not only the team itself, but from the Cowboys’ fans as well.
“I think the team was pretty tight-knit,” said Foster. “We all had a bit of a brotherhood together, sure. Our team was definitely a great group. Honestly, though, the fans were probably one of the best parts of being a wrestler for Oklahoma State. They provide such a great support system, and they’re a ton of fun. There is definitely a really great, compassionate wrestling community that they have there in Stillwater,” said Foster.
He took a redshirt year in 2008 and brought a wealth of potential to the wrestling room at Oklahoma State. His skills and experience were something that the coaching staff would eventually hone into greatness.
“I learned a lot from John, obviously, he helped me out a lot. Chris Pendleton, when he was there, was also a big influence in my career at Oklahoma State. As a whole, the entire coaching staff was a tremendous help to me, but I would probably give most of my credit to John Smith. He just corrected things for me. He really helped me out and got me on my feet,” said Foster.
His skills began to improve tremendously, and after becoming the 2011 NCAA runner-up, he realized that this was only the beginning of a thriving career. With graduation in sight, he began to think about wrestling beyond his college years.
“I had a talk with Chris Pendleton one day and he told me I should continue to wrestle after school. I was actually pretty set on getting a job at a feed store back in my hometown and just moving past wrestling. Looking back, I’m glad I didn’t take that road. I think I made a really positive decision by continuing to wrestle,” said Foster.
Foster continued to train after leaving Oklahoma State, and eventually found himself working out with the National Freestyle team in Colorado Springs, Colo. later on in 2012. His training base is at the University of Wyoming, where the college team is led by former Oklahoma State Cowboy Mark Branch. However, he finds a great deal of support in his teammates at the Olympic Training Center.
“It’s nice to have other people to train with. When I’m here with other people who are chasing the same goal, it’s easy to work hard. I really enjoy getting to work with my teammates and my workout partners. All of the coaches help out a lot. Working out with Jordan Burroughs is a great help, and so are my teammates who are also at my weight. It’s great because we are all working to make each other better,” said Foster.
While training with Team USA, Foster has realized that a great deal of his progression during his senior years has been due to mental toughness, something he believes he lacked in his younger seasons.
“My mental game has significantly changed throughout my Senior career. I don’t think I was very confident in my younger years when it came to wrestling. I’m still pretty nervous until I actually get out on the mat and shake hands, because afterwards you don’t really have a choice. My experiences have really shaped that confidence, and the training at the OTC really helps too,” said Foster.
By far, he believes that his best performance with the freestyle team was at the 2014 World Cup in Los Angeles, Calif. There, he won every match he competed in, with his second match against Iran’s Ehsan Lashgari to be the most important to him.
“The second match I wrestled was against an Iranian [Lashgari] who placed third at the World Championships the year before. When I beat him, I thought ‘dang, I can really do this’. It really stuck out to me as a moment that let me know I was improving, and that I was good at what I was doing,” said Foster.
Foster won the match against Lashgari, 7-5, joining Jordan Burroughs and Brent Metcalf as U.S. winners in the Iran dual. Foster is on the 2015 World Cup team in Los Angeles, along with World Team member Ed Ruth at 86 kg/190 lbs.
He has made recent waves on the international level as well, earning a silver medal at the respected Cerro Pelado International in Havana, Cuba back in February.
Now, he is actively looking for more success as he continues through his Senior career. For Foster, there is no time to be humble about getting to the next step. He wants to stay as hungry as possible.
“First is the U.S. Open, then winning the U.S. Trials, then competing in the World Championships and being a World champ, and then the Olympics in 2016. I have really positive feelings going into this next Olympic year, and I definitely see myself making the team for Rio. I plan for the long-term, and I’m not just taking this day-by-day. Everybody has their doubts, but you can’t let that affect you when you’re working out every day. I’m looking at that big goal of 2016, and I’m going to make it happen,” said Foster.
He is so focused on the 2016 Olympic Games that he has no clear idea of where he would like his wrestling career to take him in the future. While it is difficult for him to picture where wrestling will take him after that, he is certainly grateful for where it has brought him already.
“Wrestling has given me a huge support system. I’ve got a lot of people behind me who help me out. I want to show that what my supporters are doing is helping me out a lot. It’s hard to go wrong with the discipline and the structure that wrestling can provide a growing kid, and the sport truly helps all throughout life,” said Foster.
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