Teen With Muscle Disorder Achieves His Wrestling Dream
Nick Haller, 17, got the chance to wrestle in his first match on Jan. 7.
— -- A California high school student's dream-come-true moment was caught on video last Thursday after he was able to wrestle in his very first match.
Nick Haller, 17, who serves as an honorary member of his South El Monte high school wrestling team in South El Monte, California, participated in a Jan. 7 tournament that took place in his school gym.
"[Wrestling] is something that he's been waiting to do for a long time," mom Cynthia Valente of South El Monte told ABC News. "[Since the match] he's so happy. He's on cloud 9 right now."
Valente said her son Nick suffers from arthrogryposis--a condition that affects the muscles in his lower body, which forces him to use a walker, or wheelchair to get around.
But that didn't stop the teen from wanting his turn on the wrestling mat, an experience that his coaches helped him achieve with a match between himself and another opponent. Haller faced Alex Masuda, a junior and captain of the Rosemead High School team in Rosemead, California last week.
"I got to know him a little bit and he [seems like] a really good guy," Masuda, 16, told ABC News. "Throughout his whole high school career he’s always been wanting to have a wrestling match. His coach Ray Castellanos actually allowed him to have his first ever match and that’s what you see in the video. I made him earn it. The result of the match was him pinning me and his dream coming true."
Coach Ray Castellanos told ABC News that Nick is a "big supporter" of the wrestling team and he was happy to help him reach his goal, with safety being the number one priority.
"We’ve been trying for the last two years to allow him to have a wrestling match, but because of his condition it was hard," Castellanos said. "We ended up making it happen for him. Alex [Masuda], my instruction to him was to make it worth [Nick's] while and to please make sure his head didn't get hit."
"I don’t think there was a dingle dry-eye in the crowd," the coach added. "I was just astonished at how everybody was so emotional. Now that I've seen the video, it felt good knowing that we want to make dreams come true."
Nick Haller told ABC News that he believes both he and Masuda were great sports throughout the match.
"I felt pretty good and I think that the kid gave me a good fight and if he wants a rematch, I can give it to him," Haller said.
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