Posted 12/15/05
UW-Platteville wrestler Zach Chambers, a junior from Mineral Point, has had a career unlike most college student-athletes. For one, he is one of the elite at his position, a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion as a freshman and 17-0 as a sophomore before an injury ended his year. For another, he interrupted his wrestling and school life to serve his country. He is a U.S. Marine who spend last year in Iraq.
Are you happy to be back wrestling?
"Yes, I am. One of the papers said it had been 22 months since I had even touched a mat. I was missing it while I was over there."
What do you remember most about your time in Iraq?
"I don't know. It's kind of hard to talk about, or maybe more just hard to remember some of the stuff we did. I think the main thing is the effect we are having over there. We are doing a lot more than people think we are. A lot of them are happy we are over there, but some aren't. We are actually making a big difference over there."
What kinds of things did you do?
"We did a lot of patrolling, kicked in a lot of doors and looked for bad guys and walked around looking for road-side bombs."
Was it ever scary doing that?
"Not really. The first time we got attacked, my heart was pounding, but then I realized it could happen at any time. I didn't worry about it too much. I had the whole squad behind me, and I was behind them."
Is there anything personally that you took out of your experience? Has it changed you in any way?
"It's just another part of my life. I haven't really changed that much. Some people say I've changed a lot and came back a lot more easily agitated. That's true in a sense. I'm not used to being around people as much, so it doesn't take a lot to get me irritated over stupid little problems people are facing here."
So you kind of see more of the big picture in life?
"It's a lot easier to brush off the little problems and head on to bigger ones."
Does wrestling help with that?
"Wrestling helps a lot. If I'm frustrated, I know I can get out to practice and work it out down there."
What kind of goals do you have in wrestling for this year?
"My first goal is to be undefeated, but that has gone down the drain. (Zach is 10-2 this year.) National champion is still one of my goals. I set my goals high, and I always have. I want to win one. I have two years to do it."
Interview by SID Paul Erickson