Life, Love, and the Pursuit of A State Title
Photo by Rebecca Holt
An aspiring state champ five years in the making, are but a few words to describe TJ’s own Peter Taylor. Peter’s entire senior winter season is dedicated to the drive to the top with Head Coach Mike Laurita’s Spartan Wrestling squad.
Starting earlier than some Spartans, Peter met his first chance to wrestle in eighth grade. “My brother and sister started wrestling when I was in seventh grade. My mom looked at them both having so much fun and decided that she would push me into it. I have not looked back since,” Taylor reflects.
Taking his start initially from Cherry Creek’s middle school to high school feeder team, Peter learned the fundamentals there before honing them for TJ’s team. “It is awesome to see this new generation of wrestlers coming in. For instance, my first wrestling partner was Bennett Rodriguez, and he is now a freshman wrestling 152’s on varsity for us!” said Taylor.
Peter finds that out of his five years of wrestling that his favorite memory came relatively early on. “The summer immediately before my sophomore year here at TJ, we traveled as a team to Missouri. We were going there for a camp, as well as a tournament. This has, so far, been the most memorable experience of my wrestling career,” Peter states.
Now the expectations Head Coach Mike Laurita and his coaching staff hold for Peter are on a completely different level. “Peter has the technique to win; to be great, even. I only expect him to continue working on his mental toughness. He goes into matches scared of kids, but ends up beating them. Why? Easy, because he is better than them,” said Laurita.
The team motto for this season is “No Place to Hide.” Peter interprets this to mean many things. Having been the league champions for the past two seasons, Peter takes some of his drive from this. “I am – we are, as a team – planning on being the league champs for a third year straight this season,” said Peter. “We bring a whole new level of toughness and desire to the mat when we are facing our opponents because of this fact,” Taylor states. “That is where I find my confidence in our motto. Opponents to our cause have absolutely No Place to Hide!”
Peter started off the year by demonstrating his love for the sport with something permanent and, to him, of the utmost importance, by having the Colorado Wrestling Association emblem tattooed on his leg, as a reminder to him-as well as others-that he competes to win. “I have spent the past five years of my life doing this, and I want to remember this for the rest of my life,” Peter says. “By making it permanent it will also let everyone else know that I wrestle, and I wrestle to win.” Peter has even higher aspirations for himself this season, following a stellar last season where he set a new take-down record for any TJ wrestler, with 90 take-downs in a season. He was also the winner of two 24-7 Wrestler awards, which shows Taylor’s raw dedication to the sport.
The team has high hopes for Peter as he starts another season strong, to hopefully compete at the next level in college. Considering himself a team-player, Senior Cody DeLaBaar had this much to say about Peter: “Peter is a fun asset to have on the team. He is a cute kid, but he does not let that fool anybody. When he goes onto the mat it is either a great day for him or it is a loss, and he goes out there every time looking to have an even better day by winning the match.”
As Laurita watches Taylor begin to step out of TJ’s halls he offered this advice: “Peter – in order to wrestle in college – just needs to keep a good head on his shoulders. If he does that I know there is more than one way he will excel.” Peter’s still here, though, and this wrestling season looks to be his best as he engages in the march for his very own state title.
