by Clay Cooper

Last year, I wrote a column about what I want to do after high school. I said I was going to fulfill my dream and become a professional wrestler, and I’m in the process of fulfilling that dream right now. My family has made this possible for me to do what I’m going to be doing the rest of my life, and I will forever be grateful for that.
I have officially started wrestling training with a company that goes by the name of “Impact Pro Wrestling.”
A few months ago, they began doing shows in Des Moines at the Forte Banquet and Conference Center in the building where the All Play center used to be.
When I first went, I wasn’t expecting anything too awesome, but after the first show, I was amazed. A few shows later, I picked up my phone and started dialing the owner’s number. While the phone was ringing, I was silently freaking out. I didn’t know if he was going to be a jerk, or if he was going to be crazy. He answered. I stumbled on my words, but after that, we talked for an hour. He couldn’t have been a nicer guy. He told me and some friends to head to Algona one Saturday to see if we like the process before we make a big decision and pay the $1,500 to get trained.
When the day came, we drove the three hours to Algona where their training facility “The Vault” is located.
Once I walked into The Vault and saw the ring and the wall of previous great wrestlers who started there, my immediate thought was, “I’m going to be on that wall some day.”
I began my training four weeks ago with my brother Dalton, and it has been the greatest experience of my life. My biggest future goal is to hopefully get the opportunity to wrestle in front of my hometown. If I were to get that opportunity, it would be another dream come true for me. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.
In the year 2016 will be the year Clay Cooper debuts in Impact Pro Wrestling. I will prove to everyone that I can go far in this business and that I’m more than just a baseball player.
I’ve been wrestling around the house and watching wrestling since I was around seven years old. I’ve been studying wrestling, in a sense, for years now. I’ve been training on my own making sure I know how to do everything I want to do and how to do it safely. All those years prepared me for my actual training, and it shows. What bothers me is that some people don’t seem to enjoy wrestling. You have to have a passion for professional wrestling in order to succeed, and that’s something I have. The last column I’m going to write will be about this same thing so be prepared to not read it.