Overcoming the impossible
FORMER CCC WRESTLER HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIGHT ADDICTION, NOW SHARES STORY OF SUCCESS
Richard Jensen visits a school in New York to share his story and interact with students.
Jensen speaks in front of the students for Be a Champion in Life.
BY DOUG FRY
Richard Jensen may not be a name that
you will remember, but once you know
his story you will remember it forever.
Jensen grew up in a home with a good
fam ily, values and m orals. A t a young
age, he began wrestling and from there
it would stick with him for life.
“ 1 was very hyperactive, had a tough
tim e paying attention, very distracted
and when I found wrestling, it was like
medicine;” said Jensen.
A fter graduating high school Jensen
left to go fish in g in A laska. Troubles
came about when the lack of structure,
wrestling, left his life. He was exposed to
the world, iii an environment with drugs
and alcoholism. The lifestyle on and off
the boats was work hard, play hard.
“ It really beat rne up fast,” said Jensen.
“ It took me to that place where things
were real foggy. I got just enough off track
that I couldn’t quite get back on track and
go to college.”
A fter being caught in the lifesty le,
Je n s e n describes the struggle w ith
addiction as something that evolved and
slowly took the life out of him. Addiction
6 Clackamas Print MAY 24,2017 theclackamaspnotcorn
took away his dreams, his visions and his
aspirations, making everyday life much
more difficult.
Over a 15 year period, Jensen found
himself in and out of prison and separated
from his family. When in jail, Jensen was
constantly th in k in g about w restling,
knowing how it helped him stay on track.
After trying treatment oyer five times,
Jensen never found any luck.
In 2003, after being at the lowest point
in his life, Jensen found him self in the
Oregon State Penitentiary. Shortly after
being in prison Jensen learned that his
mother had cancer. After a month into
his sentence, he heard the news o f his
mother passing.
“ I believe she’ s watching me, but if I
could sit down and have her for a minute,
that would be incredibly awesome,” said
Jensen. “ I would say Phi sorry for putting
her through those nights of worrying and
thankher for my upbringing.” s
Jensen was released from prison in 2004
and knew that if he could have wrestling
in his life again, he would have a chance
at sobriety. In 2006, Jensen knew that
he wanted to be part of a team again, he
found that team at Clackamas Community
College.
“ I didn’t expect to win a lot of matches,”
said Jensen. “ The goal wasn’t to get my
hand raised. It was to win my life back; It
was much bigger than a wrestling match. ”
“ I was very hyperactive,
had a tough time
paying attention, very
distracted a n d when I
found wrestling, it was
like medicine.”
"
T -
Richard Jensen
Jen sen talked w ith form er athletic
director, Jim Jackson, about joining the
team and learned how difficult it would
be to make the team at age 36. Knowing
that this had to be done, Jensen accepted
all feats.that would follow. In 2006-07,
current w restling coach Jo sh Rhoden
was in his first season as head coach at
Clackamas and recalled the first meeting
of the season.
“ The mood was instantly lightened in
our first team meeting when he walked
into Randall 101 ahead of me, the 26-year-
old ‘new coach,’ and he was asked, ‘Are
you the new coach?’ Richard, 10 years my
senior, says, ‘No I’ m here to try out for
w restling,” ’ said Rhoden.
Not only is it difficult to make a college
wrestling team, but doing it on a Top-10
nationally ranked team and at the age of
36 with lim ited physical activity for 15
years, it is nearly impossible. In his first
season, Jensen struggled to find wins, but
after a long offseason he came back in
the best shape of his life, winning more
matches in the first tournament of his
second season than he did all o f his first
season.
“ You get a few windows of opportunity
in your life and this was m in e ,” said
Jensen. “ I needed to compete on the mat