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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 27, 2006 Where are they now? By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Simply making the varsity wrestling team as a freshman at Phoenix High School was a pretty big deal for David Vizzini during the 1987-88 school year. But that accomplishment paled in comparison to the four state titles Vizzini collected by the time he graduated in June of 1991. "I never really thought about winning the next one until I had it in my grasp," says Vizzini, now 32, living in Portland and running a wrestling academy in Beaverton. "I didn’t want to put a lot of pressure on myself. I just concentrated on winning the next match." Vizzini is one of only 10 Oregon prep wrestlers — at all classifications — to achieve a "four-peat." Illness, injury, a bad call at crunch time, moving into a different weight class where a phenom lurks — there are a lot of reasons why the feat is so difficult to pull off. Advertisement Vizzini credits two older brothers — John and Don — for getting him started on the mats when he was 4 years old. Once there, he came under the tutelage of coach Harry Mondale, who turned boys into men, even if puberty hadn’t yet kicked in. "He (Mondale) helped me develop a refuse-to-lose attitude," says Vizzini, who competed at 98 pounds his freshman year and at 130 as a senior. "It was an unbelievable experience. I don’t think there’s a better coach I could have wrestled for." Vizzini, who went unbeaten as a sophomore and senior, didn’t dazzle onlookers with a wide variety of moves and holds. Single- and double-leg takedowns put him in control and a spiral ride kept him there. "I stuck to my guns," Vizzini says, "and it worked." Vizzini went on to wrestle for Santa Ana Community College in Southern California and for Portland State University, where he became a two-time All-American. He left PSU early but picked up a bachelor’s degree in communications from Southern Oregon University in 1997 and a masters degree from Cal-State Fullerton in 2001. Wrestling never left Vizzini’s blood. Six years of coaching at the college level were followed by the formation of the Northern Elite Wrestling Academy, which Vizzini directs at The Hoop in Beaverton. "It’s the first wrestling academy of its kind in the country," Vizzini says. "We teach all three styles — collegiate, freestyle and Greco Roman — year-round. "We show the kids how to wrestle and we teach them life skills that help them in the classroom and in their everyday lives." Vizzini himself still competes in open tournaments and would give almost anything to make the U.S. Olympic team. But with a wife and 2-year-old daughter, he knows that life in a singlet can’t go on forever. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail Where are they now? ">[email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Computer Security Discount Hotel Reservations Casinos Canada dvd-r Generic Viagra Myspace Windermere Van Vleet Deep Muscle Stimulator Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Student Loans Sudoku Online Advertisement s