Larry Hulgaard is willing to go all the way to help his grandson Hunter Smith get to wrestling practice. All the way from Condor to Cochrane, that is… driving up to three hours a day, two times a week or more, to support the teenager’s love of the sport.
“Why not? It’s (Hunter’s) commitment that makes my commitment easier,” said Hulgaard. “He puts his whole heart and soul in to it, and that gives me the extra drive to help him as much as I can.”
Smith, 16, joined the Cochrane Cowboys Wrestling Club three years ago after learning there were no clubs in his hometown of about 1,100 people, west of Red Deer.
Since then, the youth has quickly risen in the ranks – earning a bronze medal at this year’s National Cadet/Juvenile Wrestling Championships, as well as two golds at both the ASAA High School Provincial Wrestling Championships in March and the Alberta Open in April.
In order to train at such an elite level, Smith leaves school early twice a week and hops in his papa’s pickup truck for the long drive to Cochrane.
“We talk about wrestling, basically. Pretty much,” said Smith of the road conversations.
“Sometimes we don’t talk at all,” joked Hulgaard.
Travelling to Cochrane is just the tip of the iceberg compared to how far Smith has gone to compete: the teenager has made trips to Japan, the United States and several provinces across Canada.
“It’s amazing to travel to all these places … experiencing all the new culture and their wrestling styles,” said the teen, adding he has his sights set on university and maybe even the Olympic Games in the future.
“Now I’m going places with it … the fact that all my hard work’s going to pay off makes me push myself to try and get better.”
To help his grandson achieve his goals, Hulgaard – who earned the affectionate nickname of “Poptart” by the wrestling club – recently built a gym in his former business space in Condor. It allows Smith to train in the mornings before school, and whenever the weather gets too rough to make it to Cochrane.
Smith’s mom Tera Cotie said Poptart (her dad) has given her son the immeasurable gift of opportunity.
“Without him, we probably couldn’t do this,” said Cotie. “Not many kids have grandparents like that.”
Next week, Smith will head to Wataskowin with the team, followed by a trip to Ontario the following week. Smith said wherever he goes – and no matter how far his wrestling takes him – he is thankful to know his grandfather will always be by his side.
“It’s mean everything,” said Smith. “To have his support makes this journey better.”
