On The Mat With Charles Dill - Student Equity and Engagement Center

I’d like to believe, everything else in life is easy after you wrestle. Wrestling teaches dedication over motivation, discipline, and the advantage of a strong mental game. There’s no ego in the practice room, but when you step on the mat you must believe you're the best.  

I’ve learned the path to our goals is not direct. There are going to be obstructions and challenges along the way that's for sure. Staying determined and disciplined is key. 

Throughout my 4 years in high school, wrestling was beginning to play a larger role in my life. This passion for wrestling drove out my desire to partake in other sports. I was committed to getting better and putting in the work; I was all in. 

Essentially, I was training and competing all-year round; my schedule remains full to this day. 

Towards the end of high school I had to make a difficult decision about the path that I was going to take with my wrestling career. I knew I wanted to continue to wrestle Greco, which meant that I had two choices to pick from: Either I enroll in a regular NCAA program and do Greco-Roman in the offseason, or I train full time at the National Training Site at NMU. The National Training Site at Northern offers a program where many of the top college Greco-Roman athletes go. For me, it was an obvious choice.

Our program goal here at Northern Michigan is to develop athletes and get them ready to make world and Olympic teams. 

Within my first few months of training at Northern I saw immense advancements in my wrestling. Now that I have been here for 3 years, I have made huge strides. 

Our program has implemented a bottom up approach to growth, which means that I don't just learn from my coaches. The older athletes are a treasure trove of wrestling knowledge and I often lean on them for guidance. There is something truly special to be said about the program here as it has produced many world and Olympic athletes; Something I am working (hope and strive) to be.

In both life and athletics I've always found it important to put myself in a position where I can grow. Attending Northern has surrounded me with like minded individuals who push me to improve in both the classroom and the mat.

Through my economics journey, I have learned time is one of my most scarce resources. Remembering this concept has helped me allocate my time more efficiently, which has been extremely valuable as a student athlete.

Outside of Wrestling I am involved in the following: Mercatus Center-Don Lavoie fellowship, Empire center for Public Policy, Stand Together Fellowships-Koch Internship Program, President of Economics Students Association, Center for Economic Entrepreneurship and Education, and assistant professor Kill in developing a NMU Financial Literacy Website.

As a student athlete with a demanding schedule, there’s a balance you must maintain to prevent overdoing it and overwhelming yourself. Once you go past that point, you enter a place like negative marginal utility–where all of your extracurriculars may be affecting you in a negative way (either grades or mentality).

During those intense times, I work hard and continue to push forward and stay disciplined. As the 76ers say, "Trust the Process." 

From my experiences, I’ve learned having an aggressive growth mindset, and the ability to stay disciplined is key to getting better at anything in life. After a tough loss in competition, it’s easy to get upset and feel defeated. And I do for a little bit of time, but the loss motivates me to get back to the wrestling room and improve. I've learned the most from my toughest losses. You have to challenge yourself to show up even when it feels most difficult. Whether it’s on the mat, in the classroom, or in your day to day life–I find that these principles hold true in my life. 

The National Training Center and Northern have provided me with the tools to reach my potential as a student athlete. I am grateful for my coaches Andy Bisek and Parker Betts, my professors, and my teammates who all strive to challenge me to reach my goals.

I am so grateful to be in a room full of athletes with winning mentailities, who push me, and help me advance my skills. 

My name is Charles Dill, I am a part of Greco-Roman wrestling. I am a Junior, majoring in Economics from Cambridge, New York. 

Photo credit: @theshot.photographer on Instagram