Love of family, country and wrestling are top priorities for Saddoris

Bryce Saddoris at the 2014 World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Larry Slater photo.

It began, like many other wrestlers, as an outlet – wrestling was a way to expel the young energy that 2014 World Team member Bryce Saddoris had as a boy.

“I started wrestling when I was about five. My mom needed me to do something more constructive than get in her hair. My dad ran a business in our hometown and he had to make stops at wrestling gyms, too, so it was just something I fell in love with,” said Saddoris.


Growing up in Spring Creek, Nevada, he found himself surrounded by things he loved – family, friends, sports and the great outdoors.


“Where I’m from in Northern Nevada, it’s a pretty small town. Everybody knows everybody, which is something I really liked. Sports were a big thing, and going outdoors was a big thing too. We did a lot of hunting and fishing, and we were close to the mountains too. It was a great town. I know a lot of people wanted to get out of there, but I really enjoy going back and helping out with the community-especially the wrestling community,” said Saddoris.


His youth career provided a number of opportunities that afforded him successful beginnings. By keeping a strong work ethic and staying injury-free, he earned four Nevada state championship titles and led his alma mater, Spring Creek High School, to three back-to-back state titles.


“It was awesome. I knew that that kind of success was something I worked super hard for. I realize that not everyone is as fortunate to see that kind of success come to fruition because of all the factors that are involved in wrestling-hard work, being injured. I was able to stay healthy and work hard throughout my youth career. I was blessed with really great coaches who I had a lot of confidence in, and they worked really hard with me,” said Saddoris.


His success on the mat came early, and for the Saddoris family, wrestling soon became a way of life. It was a passion for the sport that was enthusiastically fueled and supported by his parents.


“I have to say that much of my success started off so early from my parents. They really supported me and my brother during our wrestling careers. They were able to do things like bring us to tournaments during the offseason, which added to our rapport and exposure to better competition, both statewide and nationally,” said Saddoris.


Saddoris had another calling outside of the Spring Creek community, though. He had an interest in serving his country, and The Naval Academy Prep School in Newport, Rhode Island was where he set his sights.


“It was definitely a huge culture shock, going to the Academy; especially going from a small town on the West Coast to Newport and then the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was a huge transition for me, particularly academically. I was prepared in high school, but I wasn’t ready for the rigorous schedule I would have at the Naval Academy. Not only were we academically challenged, but we had the military aspect of the school as well, which was pretty new to me. I was the first person in my immediate family to join the military, and I still am. On top of that, I was put in a room full of kids that were super successful in high school on the East Coast. It was a transition, in itself, just to start competing and be successful on that level,” said Saddoris.


In spite of any hardships he may have encountered, Saddoris quickly rose to the challenge of being a student at NAPS. While he was on the opposite side of the country, he continued to receive great support from his family in Nevada.


“What it really boils down to is the hard work that I put into my academics and the military training. I had great support from my family, especially my parents. I was their first kid to leave the nest and move clear across the country, so their support really helped me along the way,” said Saddoris.


Throughout the great changes in his life, wrestling was never far from his mind. At the end of his high school career, he made the decision to attend and wrestle for The Naval Academy in Annapolis. There, he trained under Coach Bruce Burnett, and his wrestling career flourished.


“I wanted to be a national champion, an All-American, go compete and do something that nobody in my hometown had done before. It was definitely something I kept in the back of my mind the entire time I trained. I knew in high school that I wanted to compete on the college level, specifically the Division I level. I think choosing the Naval Academy was largely due to Coach Bruce Burnett. Initially, he asked me what my ultimate goals were, asked me where I wanted my wrestling career to go, and even asked me about what I wanted to do after wrestling. I had this initial trust that he was going to get me where I needed to go just as long as I gave him my all. It was a great working relationship that we had, and now we have even more than that. I still keep in contact with him and ask him for advice. He was a mentor that I could go to and trust; he didn’t just have a wrestling interest in me, but he was interested in me as a person as well,” said Saddoris.


Wrestling for the Navy proved to be much different than anything he had ever encountered. As they began to visit home, he and his classmates soon found that life in the Navy and life in college were complete opposites.


“As far as academics, the strict rules and just wrestling hard, I think our team bonded even closer because not many people could relate to the Navy wrestlers-we did have a very different life. It proved more so when we’d go back home, see our friends we went to high school with, and you could tell that we were different. We were having different life experiences from those who had gone to college.


He was introduced to a whole new kind of leadership in the Navy wrestling program, and it made a significant impact on his career. It was something that molded him into the disciplined, well-trained athlete that he is today.


“The big thing about going to school at the Naval Academy was our attendance in class-we couldn’t miss a single class. We had that strict schedule that we had to keep, or we faced consequences on the military side. I think what kept all of Navy wrestling going was each other. We were very close. The four years that I was there, I was blessed to have great upper classmen who took great care of me and my classmatesBecause we were introduced to that kind of leadership so early on, our class kind of kept that attitude as we became upper classmen. The four years that I was there, we were super close with our teammates. To this day, I still keep in touch with many of them,” said Saddoris.


The rigorous schedule he found himself following led him to years of success as a Navy wrestler. A four-time NCAA qualifier and 2009 EIWA champion, Saddoris soon began to build on a thriving career.


“I think my freshman year, after I had qualified for Nationals, I think I started to tap into my success. Even though I didn’t do very well at Nationals, in fact I went 0-2 and never won a single match, I think I started succeeding there. My sophomore year, Coach Burnett sat me down and made me realize that I was one of the best and that it was time to harden my mental game. I had to know that I could compete with anybody in the country. After my sophomore year, making it to the NCAA semifinals and ultimately becoming an All-American, I realized that Coach Burnett was right. I had to believe in myself and make sure that I was doing the right things. I needed to mentally know that I belonged there. From there, I started to combine my physical, technical and mental game to really find success in the grind that was the college wrestling season,” said Saddoris.


As he began to really hone his skills during his last years of college, he realized that there might not be room for wrestling past college. His commitment to the sport was combined with this commitment to the Marines.


“I didn’t even know that I was going to be able to wrestle after college. I was going into the Marine Corps and becoming an officer. Not many people, maybe less than a handful, of Marines that have been able to just wrestle for the Marine Corps. I was really lucky to have the right people at the right time to be able to get me onto the team. I had the right amount of success to where after I finished my military training I was able to come back and train. It also comes down to being in the right unit in North Carolina that allowed me to continue to train,” said Saddoris.


He was given the ability to represent the U.S. Marine Corps while wrestling at the Senior level, something that he is constantly thankful for. Although a call to serve could end his career at any time, he does his best to take advantage of every moment he gets as a wrestler.


“I always had a dream of competing on the Olympic level and winning a world medal. I’ve always wanted to see where I matched up with other guys in the world, so it had always been a dream of mine. When it came true, I took that opportunity and ran with it. I knew that any day I could get pulled back to a unit and my wrestling career would be over. I wanted to get myself as many tools that I could have to increase my success and show others that there’s a reason why I should be wrestling and representing the Marine Corps while doing it,” said Saddoris.


After placing second at the 2014 World Team Trials in Florida, he went on to compete in the 2014 World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. There, he went 1-1, defeating Loiqi Amirkhanzode of Tajikistan with a pin.


Soon after, he was called to the U.S. Olympic Training Center by Head National Greco-Roman Coach Matt Lindland to begin training with Team USA.


“While I was at one of my first camps in Colorado Springs, I realized that I was one of the guys that they were prepping to wrestle for Team USA. After I went to the 2014 Pan American Championships and placed second, they realized that I had a lot of potential. That was my real first year of competing continuously in Greco, so after that it’s been sort of a snowball effect. Now I’m doing tours with Team USA and getting to represent our team in the World Championships. Ever since then, it’s been tour after tour and camp after camp, and it’s been an awesome experience,” said Saddoris.


Still eligible to compete, he is looking towards the coming Olympic year with a positive attitude and a level-headed mindset.


“I look at it as exciting, being so close to the upcoming Olympic Games. It’s definitely an opportunity that I’ve never had before, making an Olympic team. I want to be able to experience that. But I’m treating this like everything else. I don’t want to be caught in a rut where I’m over thinking things. I understand there is a ton on the line, but I just have to keep the mentality that it’s just one tournament, one match and month at a time. I don’t want to start looking ahead too far to where I’m not looking at the present. I want to be able to get better, continue to train hard and keep my perspective where it’s at right now. Of course I want to use all of these experiences, all of these training sessions and team camps to get on top of that podium, but I want to stay focused too,” said Saddoris.


Saddoris, who is happily committed as a Marine, hopes to take advantage of his time as a wrestler.


“I know that, at least, until May of 2016, I still have a contract with the Marine Corps. That will be a huge decision that I will have to make, whether to stay in the Marine Corps or not. If I do stay, there’s a large chance that I would go back to a unit and serve in the Marines,” said Saddoris.


For now, he is giving himself options. On top of being a Marine, as well as a wrestler, he is currently pursuing an MBA to build upon his possibilities. Wherever his life in active duty takes him, however, he hopes that he can continue to contribute to wrestling for years to come.


“My dream job would be coaching. Coaching on the college level would be awesome. Looking at my personal career, I feel that I would have a lot to offer to a program. That’s obviously a dream. I’m certainly a person who likes options, though. I don’t want to be unprepared. I went back to school this past summer, so that if my options with the Marine Corps and wrestling run out, I could maybe pursue a career in business. For now, I realize that my competing days are probably coming to an end. I’m interested to see what my future has in store for me, though,” said Saddoris.