JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. -- Everyone has a different reason for joining the Air Force; for Tyler Westlund, it was to wrestle.
Growing up in a small farm town in northern Illinois, the 88th Air Base Wing military personnel section technician, started wrestling when his high school developed a program his freshman year.
“I was never phenomenal at any sport; I probably played every sport before I was 10,” said Westlund. “I wanted to play a sport that nobody else around there did.”
After wrestling all four years of high school, Tyler trained and wrestled in tournaments, including winning nationals in 2014 before enlisting in the Air Force.
“I joined to wrestle, along with the other pros. I always wanted to serve my country,” he continued. “My coach was in the Air Force and told me I could wrestle here.
“Six months after I joined, I was here at camp.”
This year’s Armed Forces Championship that was hosted here is Tyler’s third on the team and second he will be wrestling.
“I snapped my elbow in the freestyle finals in the first tournament and reinjured it leading up to the tournament last year so I didn’t compete,” said Westlund.
Wrestling may be a solo sport, but it’s the guys on the team that help you through training.
“Some of my best friends are at this camp, and I never would have thought I would have met guys like this at an Air Force wrestling camp,” said Tyler. “I don’t think we’ve missed a day since last year where we all didn’t talk.”
But the guys aren’t always there, the team is only together three months out of the year for their camp and the tournament.
“I train year round, but it’s tough. I don’t have a social life, it’s all I do,” added Westlund. “I get up at 3:45 a.m. to lift before work, I stretch or lift at lunch, I’m off at 4:30 p.m. and I’m at the gym until 9 p.m.
“Then, on the weekend, I do an eight-hour training session over the two days,” he said. “So I’m training six or seven days a week, but I have to if I want to compete with these guys.”
Balancing work and life can be difficult for all Airmen, especially when they compete at a high level.
“It’s tough, but the way I look at it is I have a really small window to do something great,” he stated. “I could get off work, hang out and eat Cheetos, and play video games or I can do something incredible that I have been blessed to have the opportunity to do.”
When he isn’t in the gym, you can find him fishing or hunting.
“Usually, every weekend I’m out fishing; I’m right by a lake where I live in Ohio,” he explained. “Then, I go hunting all throughout the winter. I don’t like being cooped up in the house.”
Last weekend, Tyler competed in both Roman Greco and Freestyle competitions.
His goal for the weekend was to win gold in both events but unfortunately sustained a rib injury and had a difficult time wrestling. He placed third in Roman Greco and was unable to finish the Freestyle competition.
He plans to be on the mat for the Air Force one last time next year before he separates and goes on to wrestle in college.
“I want to win the world team trials in June. Then, I want to win four collegiate national titles when I get out.”