Alaskan Grappler Podcast

Chris is currently an assistant coach for Homer high school, and current athletic director as well as podcast host himself. He used to be the head coach, he grew up there, he wrestled there, he had success wrestling and coaching and went on to wrestle after high school. After college he brought his love and passion for the sport back to Homer and has been a large factor to the school’s wrestling program. He has also helped with the Alaskan Grappler rankings as well as the rankings for AKMat back in the day and even announced state finals matches in the past when AKMat used to record them and put them on YouTube. The man is an Alaskan wrestling Hall of Famer, fellow Miami Dolphins fan and a great guy.

On this episode I had the pleasure of sitting down with Nathan Hoffer. Nathan was a 4-time state champion from east anchorage who then went on to wrestle for Arizona State University. We talk about when and how he got into the sport of wrestling. We talk about his experience wrestling in college and the process of how he got there. We get a never heard before story of why he was in tears under the bleachers after winning his 3rd state title. We talk about the wrestling facility he recently opened in Anchorage. And of course, we talk about his toughest opponents, favorite moments and so much more.

On this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Hollan Gravley. Hollan was a 4 time state champion for Colony and also lead the team to their first ever state championship his senior year while winning OW in the state tournament. He then went on to wrestle for Western Colorado University. We talk about how he got into the sport, what separated him from his competition. We talk about his experience wrestling in college. We talk about Colony and the success they have had since his senior year. We talk about his favorite sports franchises, commercial fishing, his toughest opponents, favorite moments and so much more.

For this episode, I had the pleasure of talking to Isaac Deaton. Isaac was a 3 time state champion and high school all-american from Valdez. He then went on to wrestle for the University of Nebraska at Karney. He is now a shop teacher at Valdez high school and is in line to become the high school and middle school head wrestling coach. We talk about when he started wrestling and how he got into it. We talk about the 3 state titles he won in high school and how an injury kept him out of his freshman year. We talk about his experience wrestling in college and what he thinks some of the differences are between college and high school. Find out where he ranks French toast, pancakes, and waffles. We talk about his toughest opponents, favorite moments and so much more.

On this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Randy Hanson. Randy was a 3 time state champion and 4 time finalist from Bethel. He then went on to wrestle for the University of Minnesota as well as get a degree in Kineeziology. He has since moved back to Alaska and he is on a tear. He was named assistant coach of the year in 2018 while winning a team state championship with South Anchorage and as of last year he has taken over the program as the head coach. We talk about when he started wrestling as well as his time in middle school, high school and college. We talk about how he got started coaching at South Anchorage and how he got the opportunity to become the head coach as well as some of the differences and challenges from assistant to head coach. We talk about his sister being a world champion power lifter. Randy gives me his rankings on pancakes, waffles, and French toast. We talk about his toughest opponents, favorite moments and so much more.

I’d like to apologize for the long delay, I recorded this next podcast on March 28th, but my podcast mic died on me so I have been unable to record a quality intro and ending, but I have my new one now so we are good to go. For this particular episode, I am not your host. Your host will be none other than my little brother Dillon Achman. We took the time to sit down and do a roles reversal where Dillon interviewed me. He figured that not many people out there who listen really know anything about me or my past with the sport of wrestling. What better opportunity than to do a podcast about it. Also, because of all the coronavirus mandates and whatnot at the time this was recorded, we did the first ever remote podcast for the Alaskan Grappler. In this episode we talk about my past with wrestling, how and why I started, why I love the sport, we talk about when I broke my arm in the finals  at the John Tobin invitational, we talk about why and how I started the Alaskan Grappler, my favorite moments and so much more.

On this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Kobe Ames. Kobe is a Junior who wrestles for Lathrop High School. He is a 2 time state champion and a 3 time finalist with one year left to go, he also earned all-american in Greco in 2018. We talk about when and how he got into the sport of wrestling, what brought him to the state of Alaska, his future plans in wrestling, his toughest opponents, favorite moments and so much more.

On this episode I had the pleasure of sitting down with Ellie Schumaker. Ellie is an absolute beast on the mat, having won 2 tanana invitational titles and finished runner up in 6th grade and so far she is a 3 time state finalist and 3 time state champion in her high school campaign with one year left to go. On this episode we talk about how she got into the sport, her strengths, her weaknesses, what she thinks it takes to be successful, a funny story ending in her doing a wrestling camp while wearing an oven mitt, her toughest opponents, favorite moments, and so much more.

On this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Jared Miller. Jared wrestled for Dillingham and was the first ever 4 time state champion for small schools in the state of Alaska, he also took home outstanding wrestler honors his senior year. Given the current events of the world, we talk a little bit about the Coronavirus, we then hop right to business and start talking about wrestling and when and how he got involved with the sport. We talk about his 4 state titles, his journey with wrestling after high school, what he thinks it takes to be successful, his toughest opponents, favorite moments and so much more.

Jimmy was a 3 time finalist and 2 time state champion from Kodiak. He was a multiple time all-american and was a national runner-up as well as a national champion for Southern Oregon University. During this interview we talk about when he started wrestling as well as his biggest influences. We talk about what motivated him when he got to high school. We talk about his time in high school as well as his journey after and him ending up becoming a national champion. We talk about his favorite and least favorite ages to coach. What he thinks it takes to be successful, the hardest thing about wrestling, his toughest opponents, favorite moments and so much more.

For this episode I had the pleasure of sitting down with Chris Frazier. He is the head coach of Eielson High School and Middle School. He won a state title for Eielson and then transferred to North Pole to continue wrestling where he took 2nd as a senior. I’ve known Chris for a long time. We have officiated together and now we coach against one another. For this podcast we talk about when he started wrestling, who got him into it. Who his biggest influences are. The challenges he faces as a coach. We talk about the toughest people he’s wrestled, his favorite moment and so much more.

I was hoping to have this episode up a lot sooner, but with Thanksgiving and being busy, I dropped the ball a little bit. For this episode I had the pleasure of sitting down with Sandy Stevens. I want to give a big shout out to Trent Farris for setting the opportunity up for me and finding a time and space for us to talk the night before the Lancer Smith kicked off. Unfortunately, there was about 5 minutes worth of conversation about Alaska that became inaudible for whatever reason that I had to cut, so I apologize for that. I was still able to get a solid podcast out of the audio that was audible. For those who don’t know, Sandy Stevens is a hall of fame announcer in the sport of wrestling, her accolades go on and on. We talk about how she got started  announcing in our sport, we talk about how she came to announce the Lancer Smith tournament as well as her initial thoughts on Alaska, we talk about her thoughts on girl’s wrestling, some of her pet peeves as an announcer and much more.

In this episode I had the pleasure of sitting down with Aedyn Concepcion. He is a senior at South Anchorage High School and he is a 3 time state champion, going for his 4th. We talk about how he started wrestling and who his biggest influences have been. We talk about what he thinks it takes to be successful in wrestling. We talk about him earning all American status this past summer at Fargo in Freestyle. We talk about his future plans and much more.

For this podcast, I sit down with Dillon Achman, Wes Bockert, Kaylen Baxter and Jimmy Eggemeyer as we conquered the Hot Ones Chicken Wing Challenge. This podcast was recorded a while ago, but I had some difficulties with the editing process and then I had to edit it again because all of my work somehow got deleted. But I finally finished it for your listening pleasure. We recorded the podcast while I did a live streaming video on Facebook, so if you are interested in the video check it out on the Alaskan Grappler facebook page. During this podcast we talk the greatest of all time when it comes to wrestling, our mount rushmores of the wrestling world, if we think wrestling is growing or dying and so much more.  Wrestling season is now in full swing which means all of the results from all over the state will be posted weekly to alaskangrappler.com as well as updated rankings for D1, D2, and Girls. This weekend at the battle in the interior, I will be recording a couple more podcasts, so be on the lookout for those to drop soon. I hope you enjoy this one, we sure did.

For this episode, I sit down with Kaylen Baxter. He was a 3 time state champion and a 4 time finalist for West Valley High School. He was a 3 time All-American, winning the honors twice in Greco and once in Freestyle. He is the current head coach of West Valley High School as well as the current head coach of Team Alaska. In this episode we talk about when he started wrestling, his family and what they have done in and for the sport of wrestling. We talk about his time wrestling at Old Dominion and how he got recruited there. We talk about the state finals match he lost, practicing in high school with his little brother, his sweet mustache and so much more.

For this episode, I sit down for a unique interview with my little brother Dillon. He was a 3 time state champion and a 4 time state finalist, taking home Outstanding wrestler as a senior for Lathrop High School. We talk about his wrestling career and when he got started as well who his biggest influences were. We talk about his weird memory and how he can rattle off just about every one he has wrestled in state tournaments from 6th-12th grade as well as the scores for a lot of them. We discuss what happened the year he didn’t win a state title. I let him answer the question that I have been asked so many times which is why he didn’t wrestle in college. We discuss what he thinks it takes to be successful in wrestling, a couple of his favorite matches and so much more. We do all of this while eating some insanely hot, hot wings, which I will never be doing again.

In this episode, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Michaela Schmitz, formerly known as Michaela Hutchison. We talk about when she started wrestling and who may have gotten her into it. We talk about her being the first girl in the nation to win a state title in a predominantly boy sport. We talk about her time wrestling in high school and college. We talk about some of her favorite matches, what she thinks it takes to be successful in wrestling and what she thinks is the hardest thing about wrestling. We also talk a little about her new role as a mother and so much more.

This episode I sit down with Buddy and Jeremy Bockert. Buddy graduated in 2018 and was a stellar wrestler as he placed 3rd, 2nd, 1st, and 1st at the Alaska State Championships during his high school career. Jeremy is still in the midst of his high school career, placing 2nd as a freshman and then getting revenge on that loss by beating the same kid in the finals this year who was 40-0 heading into their state finals match. Both of these young men are absolute standup kids and it was awesome being able to talk to them. We talk about what it’s like having their dad as the head coach. We talk about the success that they have had in the sport and what they each think it takes to achieve success. We talk about them watching each other achieve success. We talk about their pre-match routines, their post weigh-in food and drink choice, their favorite food after wrestling season is over, their favorite video games, music, and so much more.

In this episode, I sit down with Tom Ritchie Jr. He currently coaches at South Anchorage and is the former head coach of South Anchorage and Service High School. We talk about his wrestling career at Lathrop High School and wrestling for his dad as the head coach as well as being in the same role when his son wrestled for him at South Anchorage. We talk about the success South has had as a team, some of the more talented wrestlers he’s coached and so much more.

Part 2 of my interview with Wes Bockert: Head coach of Lathrop High School, Ryan Middle School, Director of Team Alaska, and Owner of Interior Grappling Academy in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Interview with Wes Bockert: Head coach of Lathrop High School, Ryan Middle School, Director of Team Alaska, and Owner of Interior Grappling Academy in Fairbanks, Alaska.