January 2008: Taylorsville/Kearns Journal

Former Taylorsville Wrestler Working Toward Olympic Invitation
by Josh McFadden

As a sophomore at Taylorsville High School, Brandon Ruiz wanted to be part of the school’s basketball team. Now, 15 years later, he is preparing for what he hopes will lead him to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China this August.

Before high school, Ruiz had never wrestled competitively. But after failing to make the basketball team as a 10th grader, he wound up starting a career in a sport in which he seems he was destined to compete.

“After I didn’t make the basketball team I went into the wrestling room on the suggestion of a friend,” Ruiz said.

His friend made a good suggestion.

Ruiz went on to star on the Taylorsville wrestling team. His abilities eventually took him to Brigham Young University, where he wrestled for four years. After college and a two-year LDS mission, Ruiz and his wife Brynne moved to Colorado Springs, Colo., so he could train at the Olympic Training Center.

After spending three years in Colorado, Ruiz and his wife moved to West Jordan in November 2006. They brought back with them their daughter, Cheyenne, who is now 1. Even though he no longer works out at the Olympic Training Center, Ruiz is as eager as ever to reach his goal of making the U.S. Olympic Roman-Greco wrestling team. He is currently ranked fourth in the country in the 264-pound class.

“This has been quite a process,” he said. “I’ve wanted to do it for a long, long time. I’m a long shot to make it but I still want to take a shot.”

Ruiz is just one point out of third place in the rankings, and though he said beating the top two wrestlers in the Olympic Trials this June will be difficult, he knows anything is possible.

“Olympic years are crazy,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen. You never know if someone’s going to get sick or hurt. There are so many things that can affect the outcome. In wrestling there’s always a little bit of the unknown. In other sports you can have an idea of who’s on top. In wrestling, there are a lot more intangibles.”

Reaching the level of an Olympic-caliber athlete isn’t easy. Ruiz has made wrestling his life. He works out twice a day, beginning at 6 a.m. After three hours of lifting weights and going through drills, he goes to his part-time job. After his workday ends, he returns to his training regimen and spends another four to six hours with conditioning and other skill-development exercises.

“I don’t think people realize what it takes to be competitive,” he said. “It takes years of dedication and trying to beat people above you. It becomes a lifestyle if you want to be successful.”

The financial commitment is significant as well. Fortunately, Ruiz has secured two sponsors in Ayers Law Firm and Dr. John Ogao, a chiropractor. With this help, Ruiz has been able to secure housing and is able to support his family during this period of intense training.

“It takes a lot of support to help a person reach their dreams,” he said.

Qualifying for the Olympics will mean everything to Ruiz.

“It would be a huge accomplishment,” he said. “I’ll be excited. Words can’t describe what the feeling would be like.”