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the Lockport Legend | June 21, 2018 | 37
Wrestling
Ramos prepares for his shot on international stage
Standout Porter
wrestler to travel
to Croatia for world
championships
Randy Whalen
Freelance Reporter
Matt Ramos will have a
special opportunity at the
end of this month.
The Lockport Township
wrestling standout won
the Cadet Wrestling World
team trials at 51 kilograms
on June 3 in Akron, Ohio.
This means that at the end
of June he will travel to
Colorado Springs to attend
training camp at the Olympic
Training Center. From
there, he is to represent the
United States on July 3-4, at
the Cadet World Championships
in Zagreb, Croatia.
Ramos won’t be the only
Porter going, as assistant
wrestling coach and coach
of team Illinois, Jameson
Oster, will be joining the
coaching staff for the USA
on the trip.
“It’s been one of my main
goals,” Ramos said of making
the Cadet Wrestling
World team. “All the practice
I’ve been doing, everything,
it’s all been leading
up to this. Now, I’m one
step closer to a gold medal.”
If Ramos wins a gold
medal at the Cadet championships,
which is for those
born 2001-2003, he will
become the second wrestler
ever from Lockport to
get one. Haley Augello was
a cadet world champion in
2011 and later wrestled in
the 2016 Olympics. As it
is, Ramos is the fourth Porter
wrestler to represent the
United States in a UWW
[United World Wrestling]
event joining Augello, Tyler
Johnson and Mark Stenberg.
“Two years ago, I got
seventh and last year I
didn’t place,” Ramos said
of competing at the Cadet
Wrestling World team trials.
“So I knew what I had
to do. I had to adapt myself
to freestyle wrestling. When
I made it to the finals, it’s
a best two of three format.
But I won both of them by
the scores of 6-5 and 6-1
over [Anthony Ferrari from
Allen, Texas].”
That victory sent him to
the International destination.
“The USA took second
last year,” Lockport head
wrestling coach Josh Oster
said of going to the World
Finals. “The USA is one of
the top three countries there
year in-and-year out. So, to
represent your country at
that level is amazing.
“Years ago, I went to Russia
to wrestle, and was given
a great welcome. A lot of
foreign people have a view
of USA athletes as heroes.
Matt has a great opportunity
to go to a new country
and bring home a medal that
will bring a lot of pride to
his country, state and city.”
Jameson Oster, Josh Oster’s
brother, will be the first
Lockport wresting coach to
coach on the international
level. During his career
with the Porters, Jameson
Oster brought home a state
medal each season, including
a state championship
as a sophomore in 2009 in
Class 3A at 119 pounds.
But, despite all his success
on the mat and coaching
others on it, this will be a
new experience for him.
“After Matt won in Akron
I approached USA head
coach - Kevin Jackson and
told him I’d be interested in
coaching out there,” Jameson
Oster said. “He said sure.
I have to pay my own way,
Matt Ramos (left) is to represent the United States on July 3-4 at the Cadet World Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. 22nd
Century Media file photo
but it will be fun. It’s not often
you get to coach at the
world level. Plus, I’ve never
been out of the country before.
“Also, it will be good for
Matt to have someone he
knows well with him to help
in the process.”
Ramos helped the Porters
to the Class 3A dual team
title in 2017, placed fifth in
3A at 106 pounds as a sophomore
and then took third
in Class 3A at 113 pounds
as a junior this past February.
He said he is glad that
Jameson Oster will making
the trip with him.
“Coach Jameson has really
helped me,” Ramos
said. “He’s given me a lot of
pointers on freestyle wrestling,
and it’s great that he
will be there, too.
“I leave for the team
training center in Colorado
Springs on [Thursday] June
21. It’s a wonderful opportunity
to represent the country
and show off all the hard
work I’ve done. Now I just
have to take advantage of it.