Former Greenchain wrestler qualifies for college nationals

A few months ago, former Greenchain wrestler and two-time state champ Kyle Leir was feeling like he was little more than a training partner for his teammates at the University of Great Falls. Leir said he was missing some basic tools required to wrestle at the collegiate level.

“I came home from practice feeling like a high school wrestler on a college team,” Leir said. But he continued to look for ways to improve and was picked as the 12th and final wrestler the Argos would take to the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Western Regional Tournament in Havre on Feb. 21.

While warming up for his fourth match in the tournament, Leir’s phone piped music through his headphones. He usually streams rap, but with his batteries running low he let music from his personal catalogue play to conserve power.  

The sophomore had lost his first match of the tournament to the eventual 149-pound western champ, but then reeled off two wins to keep him in the hunt for one of the top four positions to qualify for the national tournament.

Facing the No.12 wrestler in the nation, Leir wasn’t exactly feeling confident before the match. But as the Travis Tritt song “It’s a Great Day to be Alive” started, Leir felt the presence of his father, Randy Leir, who passed in 2012 and courage flooded his body. “I’ve always wanted to make my dad proud of me,” said Leir.

Leir went on to hand Anton King of Embry-Riddle University an 8-4 defeat, and moved on to the third-place match and a guaranteed spot at the national tournament in Topeka, Kan., on March 6 and 7. Leir fell 6-2 in his next match, but a month beforehand he wasn’t expecting to even be chosen to represent his school at Havre.

“Originally I wasn’t even in the picture for the regional tournament, but a month or two ago I started to figure things out; things started to click,” Leir said.

After a good start his freshman year, Leir had limited success putting together wins. “Last year I shouldn’t have been allowed on the team, I was really struggling,” he said.

For one, Leir said he had to learn to pace himself. “I would just go out and get a couple takedowns in the first round and then run out of gas. The extra minute in the first round may not seem like much, but it’s a lot,” he said.

Leir also put in work with his Alaskan-teammate Kyle Wilson on creating and finding angles from which to attack his opponents.

And then there was his diet. Last year, Leir’s weight at the beginning of the season was 175 pounds, which is more than 25 pounds over his competition weight. Living across the street from McDonald’s and Taco Bell made eating right difficult. “When I’m broke sometimes eating off the dollar menu seems like the best option,” said Leir.

But choosing the healthiest options from fast-food restaurants and loading up on calories for breakfast and lunch then tapering off for dinner, Leir got his weight to a more manageable level. That allowed him more room to stay hydrated, which is an important factor for having energy beyond the first round.

To aid digestive issues Leir was having, a strange tip from his coach, Caleb Schaffer, seems to have helped. He recommended Leir take a hot shower after meals to stimulate digestion; so far it’s worked.

It was at duals against Embry-Riddle and Dickinson State in February when Leir really started to find his groove. He felt confident and forced his opponents to wrestle at his clip. “Once you get somebody to wrestle at your pace, you can dictate where the match goes,” Leir said. “I started to believe I could wrestle with anybody.”

His coach obviously began to see the same thing and gave him the final position on the team for the western regional tournament and was pleased with what he saw. “He wrestled amazingly. He’s been a loyal soldier and when he finally got his shot he made it count,” said Schaffer.

When Leir wrestled for the Greenchain, his dad was there to offer advice even though his knowledge on the sport was limited. “He was a big, physical guy and knew what hard work was and what it took to win,” Leir said. “What he taught me was to be mentally strong.”

Coaching Leir in high school was Kelly Morford, who counts himself lucky to have seen Leir’s undefeated senior season. “What I remember most about coaching Kyle is how physical he was on the mat. He was a brawler out there and there wasn’t anybody around that looked forward to wrestling him,” Morford said. “He is well on his way to a great college wrestling career and most importantly, well on his way to a college degree.”

Leir can only see his wrestling career going up from here. He’s enjoyed the ride over the last couple of months and is choosing to not overthink the challenges that await him at the national tournament in Topeka, Kan., on Friday and Saturday.

“I’m approaching it like just another week. I know each match will be tough—battling for one or two point wins,” Leir said.“I’m trying to be number one. If I fall short that’s OK, but I’m not going for less,” Leir said.

Leir feels going into the tournament as the number four from the western region might make some wrestlers overlook him, which he’s more than alright with. “I’m the underdog, a junkyard dog, nobody knows about me,” Leir said. “I’m ready to go all seven minutes.”