Wrestling is a unique sport, and requires a unique set of skills. It is like golf, highly individualistic, but much more physically demanding. It is as physically taxing as football or rugby, but you sink or swim entirely on your own abilities.
Sean Molle possess all these attributes. He wrestles in the heavyweight class, has an impressive mentor who has taught him how to come back from two different injuries, and has become an integral part of the SFU wrestling team.
“Sean is a pleasure to coach because he is super committed to the sport,” said his coach Justin Abdou. “He will do anything you ask him to do, and of all the heavyweights I’ve coached, he’s one of the most committed to fitness. He runs hard with the team, he’s good shape, [and] he can push the pace.
“He’s got a youthful energy. He’s like a big kid. He’s someone that everybody likes, and he’s a good teammate.”
“The first time I was out for six months,” said Sean to The Peak about his injury. “The second time I was out for nine months. [The first one] was during a practice. I just twisted it the wrong way and the knee popped. The second time was during a match.”
Molle started wrestling in high school, and hasn’t looked back. “My junior high coach got me into it, and I had had some family ambition to get into it. I thought it would be something to try out.”
Family ambition is an understatement. Molle’s father, Robert Molle, was an extremely accomplished wrestler, competing for SFU in the 1980’s and winning four NAIA championships, and also winning a Silver Medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“Oh yeah. He shows it all the time,” said Sean commenting on his Father’s Silver Medal. “The match is on YouTube and I’ve seen it multiple times. I’ve seen multiple videos of him wrestling.
“I [learned] a lot from him, and he did teach me a lot so I tried to take advantage of that.”
Molle tried to follow in his father’s footsteps by playing football here at SFU as well. Robert was a dual sport athlete, and actually went on to play in the CFL, winning two Grey Cups with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“I tried out for defensive line, and then they put me on the offen- sive line. But I think I was a little too small to compete for offensive line,” said Sean. “I thought I could try it out. But it was too much work, especially with school. I wasn’t enjoying it, so I just put my eggs in one basket.”
“We are at the mats probably five times a week, probably six times depending if we have a tournament.”
That is because school for a wrestler is a unique balancing act. Unlike sports such as football, basketball, or soccer — which all have a fair amount of home games — wrestlers compete primarily on the road. Of the 23 meets that the men’s wrestling team will participate in, only two are in Burnaby. This means many nights on the road travelling and away from school.
“Being on the road you kind of have to just pick and choose,” explained Sean. “You have to make sure you’re done your assignment before you leave, because you’re not going to get much work done on the road, and you’re not going to have WiFi everywhere you go. You’re going to have to make sure you’ve done all your readings or make sure they’re all saved on your computer.
“I usually try and avoid Friday classes, [. . .] and distance courses are always a must when it comes to being an athlete, especially on the road.”
Days where the team is not travelling are very demanding; it’s no wonder why distance courses are very valuable to any student athlete.
“We are at the mats probably five times a week, probably six times depending if we have a tournament,” explained Molle. “Monday we go hard, we run in the morning, and then practice in the afternoon. Tuesdays we usually go at 7 a.m, and then a lift in the afternoon. Then [it’s] the same thing for Wednesdays [as it is Monday], and Thursdays is the same thing as Tuesday. Friday is the same as Mondays [and] Wednesdays, or it’s usually a travel day for the tournament.”
Molle is also very happy about the International Olympic Committee reinstating wrestling for at least the next two Olympics. The sport was originally going to be out of the 2020 Olympics, but was reinstated after complaints from various groups.
“It’s great,” said Molle. “It’s another reason to compete. Wrestling is not a very professional sport; there’s not a lot of money involved. With football you get to go pro, with hockey there’s the NHL. In wrestling, the Olympics is a big deal. It’s the big show.”
With the Olympics as the ultimate benchmark for success, Sean hopes to become an All American for this season and win the NCAA in his final year next year.
Fun Fact
Sean’s pre match meal is half a dozen eggs. His favourite pump up song is “Molly” by Tyga.
