Bjorn again
Dec. 4, 2009 - Regina Leader-Post
By Tim Switzer
Bjorn Person has nearly all the qualities needed to make a successful collegiate wrestler. He's big, he's strong, he's quick, he has good footwork.
There's just one more skill to add to the package. Person has to learn how to wrestle.
Growing up in Preeceville, Person always concentrated on football and never gave wrestling a go. That proved to be a good decision when, in 2004, he joined the University of Regina Rams. He spent six years there (including a redshirt season), completing his career this fall by being named a Canada West all-star at defensive tackle.
During that time, U of R Cougars wrestling coach Leo McGee took a few runs at the 6-foot-3, 287-pound Person, hoping he might take a shot at wrestling -- and now it seems that he has finally got Person on board full time and set to compete with the Cougars next semester.
"It works well for both sports, the movements and stuff," Person said. "I thought it could help my football. Now that I'm done football and this is my last year of CIS competition, I figured I would never have another chance to do it."
McGee doesn't expect it to take too much time for Person to be a contender in Canada West.
"He's so athletic and big and enjoys the combat that I think we'll be able to turn him into an individual who will make a real, honest contribution to the program," said McGee.
"We're No. 3 in the CIS, we have nine strong weights, I need a heavyweight and that guy is ideal. These two sports go hand in glove ...
"I'm not doing this because I'm a nice guy. I'm doing it because I believe that guy can qualify the weight class for us (for the CIS championships). And if he's a good football player, this is going to make him a great football player."
As he begins training full-time with the wrestling team, Person is getting a fast education in a sport that is arguably even more physical than football.
"The practices are pretty intense with wrestling," said Person. "It's a lot of cardio and movement. It's a little different from football. I would say it is a little more tiring than a football practice. It sure whips you into shape.
"A lot of the terminology and technique that we practise, it's just different. It probably takes me two tries to do it rather than getting it right on the first try like a lot of the others. Just keeping up with those other wrestlers (is tough). The last couple months, they've been practising already and I'm maybe not quite in good enough shape. You need a lot of stamina."
While Person, who is accustomed to smashing heads in brief intervals, works on his endurance, the strength needed for wrestling is already in place. Oft considered the strongest player on the Rams -- and one of the strongest in Canada West -- Person can bench press 430 pounds.
He will need that to compete against the other big boys in the heavyweight division (a 130-kilogram maximum). It's a weight class that just happens to have produced football players like Craig Albert, an all-Canadian defensive lineman with the Saskatoon Hilltops of the PFC, and Mark Dewit, a former CIS wrestling champion who now patrols the offensive line for the Toronto Argonauts.
"(Both sports are) all about handling bodies and controlling your man," explained Person. "We're always doing that on the line -- grabbing and getting around the guy. You have to be quick and strong in both sports, so it seems it's just a good mixture of skills."
Even with this talk of wrestling, Person is not forgetting football. He hopes to secure a CFL training camp invitation. Which begs the question: Isn't he worried about wrestling-related injuries that could hurt his pro football aspirations?
In 2007, Person tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, and when he took up wrestling last year it was a test to see if the joint could continue to withstand the rigours of football. "Being low in all your movements, it really strengthened my knee," he said.
With fewer worries about that than there were a year ago, Person is excited about the chance to chase the national championship that eluded him in football. "The team is excited to have me and having a heavyweight in the room," he said. "It's exciting for a lot of the players because we think we can have a shot at the national title this year and you have to fill all your (weight classes) to do it. It's exciting for myself, but it's better to help the team out."