Stubborn Erin Clodgo not backing down from challenges on the World stage

Erin Clodgo with her arm raised in victory at 63 kg at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Frisco, Texas. Photo by Tony Rotundo, Wrestlers Are Warriors


2015 World Team member Erin Clodgo has been a mainstay in the U.S. Women’s Wrestling Program for many years. She has many national accolades, including being a two-time U.S. Open champion and the Dave Schultz Memorial champion. Clodgo feels she is ready to launch herself onto the global stage in 2016.


The Richmond, Vermont native has made her international presence felt already this year as she qualified Team USA for the 2016 Olympic Games after winning gold at the Pan American Olympic Qualifier in Frisco, Texas. Clodgo defeated Katerina Vidiaux Lopez of Cuba in the semifinals to secure the U.S. a spot at 63 kg in Rio De Janeiro.


“My semifinals match against Cuba was against a girl that had beaten me twice,” Clodgo said. “Getting past her was a big step for me because not only did I beat her but I qualified the weight as well. It was a good day considering I had beaten someone I never had beaten before.”


U.S. Women’s National Coach Terry Steiner was impressed with Clodgo on the mat against Vidiaux but even more so by the fact that she stayed zoned-in the entire match.


“She wrestled a great tournament,” Steiner said. “She came out in the right frame of mind and weathered the storm. We focused on defensive position right away and Erin shut her down. She was really strong and didn’t have any lapses. Last year, we had some hesitations and lapses but this year, she came out with an expectation to win and that was all of the difference.”


Coach Steiner knows that Clodgo has the potential to make an impact at the highest level and is hoping that the win over Vidiaux instills some confidence that will springboard her to a different level.


“I think it is natural to have some lapses when an athlete is rising up,” Steiner said. “There are some signs of greatness but it’s not consistent. Then they come to a realization that they can compete and win at this level and that’s when things start happening. Hopefully we are at that point with Erin. Sometimes all you need is a big win.”


Her style may not be the flashiest but she doesn’t care as long as the results keep coming up gold.


“I am a very tiring wrestler to wrestle against,” Clodgo said. “If you wrestle me, there is going to be a lot of work and conditioning involved. You won’t just defend one or two shots. Something is coming every 30 or 40 seconds. I would say I am one of the more taxing wrestlers at my weight class. I’m not slick and I don’t have any tricks. I’m a grinder that is going to push you every second of the match.”


Clodgo is also a grinder in her training. She doesn’t necessarily go all out at practice for the full hour like she used to when she was younger. Her solo training methods have kept her focus on what she needs to be successful.


“I am much more self absorbed in what I need to do,” Clodgo said. “I am writing out my own schedule for things that I need to work on. It is all planned out and I plan on sticking to it. I will have other practices where it’s just me working on things that I need to do in order to get ready. It’s a different type of training. It’s not a bad thing but now that I am later in my career I just need to tighten things in my technique and position instead of going crazy in the room for an hour.”


Part of the reason Clodgo chooses this type of training is her self-described stubbornness. She knows what she wants to do, what is best for her and attacks it the way she wants to.


“The best athletes are really stubborn,” Clodgo said. “They are headstrong and persistent in what they want. I think that is a good trait to have in life and as an athlete. Being stubborn is a determination of what you want and it can help get you there.”


Coach Steiner has seen the stubborn side of Clodgo in action, but knows that when it comes down to it, she is going to do what it takes to be the best.


“Being stubborn is part of what makes Erin great,” Steiner said. “I won’t say we never butt heads but that’s OK because we can get through those things. As an athlete you need to stand up and fight for what you want. Sometimes it is a little harder to deal with but when there is a mutual respect and realization that we all want what is best then everything works out. She has always stayed positive and plugged away through the hard times.”


Clodgo has faced plenty of adversity during her career. After falling short at the 2012 Olympic Trials, she required surgery to repair torn labrums in both of her hips. Despite the setback, Clodgo pushed her way through rehab and returned to the mat just five months later where she placed second at the World University Games. Just one month later, Clodgo placed second at the U.S. Open in Las Vegas.


“That year was tough as far as the surgeries but I was able to accomplish some things I didn’t expect to,” Clodgo said. “It was a hard year for me mentally, but I overcame some obstacles that were truly amazing to me.”


“She has had some obstacles, no doubt about it,” Steiner said “She just keeps plugging away and working, doing her thing. It is good to see her hard work paying off because she has put a lot into this journey. To start to see some results that she wants is nice to see.”


Clodgo’s journey off the mat is also changing. She is recently engaged and has made some plans for her post-wrestling life. She wants to return to school where she studied culinary arts for over two years. She is known to bake for hours at a time, cranking out cupcakes, cookies and even wedding cakes for her coaches. She really enjoyed school but knew for her wrestling career to take off, she had silence her sweet tooth for a little while.


“I had to stop,” Clodgo said. “You would have to taste your own product after you were done then you would have to taste everyone else’s in the class. I mean I loved it but it wasn’t great for my weight.”


Despite the scary thought of one his top athletes surrounded by cupcakes and cookies for hours, Steiner sees it as a healthy escape for Clodgo.


“It’s a good thing to have some balance,” Steiner said. “It is good to have something to take you away from this sport to free your mind up. It is unhealthy when all there is is wrestling. As long as you keep your Olympic training the main priority but still have some things to take you away, that is a good thing. Her cookies are good. She has a future.”


The only future Clodgo is focused on right now, however, is her Olympic dream. The plan is in place and she can feel the excitement starting to build toward Olympic Trials in April at Iowa City. Standing on the podium at the Olympic Games with the Star Spangled Banner blasting through the arena is something she has pictured before, even as a teenager.


“My dreams would be coming true,” Clodgo said. “They are my dreams from when I was 15 years old. I would be so in the moment and proud of myself.”


Coach Steiner can see her there as well but knows there is still work to do and that no one will work harder than her.


“Qualifying the weight class is one thing, making the team is the next step and winning the Olympics is a whole other step,” Steiner said. “She has wrestled pretty much everybody and knows what the competition is like out there. She won’t be awe struck by anyone. She has been training just as hard as anyone else and no one out there will surprise her. She has to demand the results she wants. She is at the point in the career where someone is going to have to come beat her. She won’t let them take it from her.”