Feb. 16, 2000
Columbia, Mo. - By JON STEMMLE of the Tribune's staff
Jeremy Spates has never been so close to his dream.
From the days when he used to roll around with his younger brother, Justin, on the West Point wrestling mats while his father coached the college team, Spates knew he wanted to be a national champion.
He even acted the part, choosing names from the national rankings as he and his brother would act out NCAA Championship matches.
Now Spates is 28-9 as Missouri's 141-pound entry and no longer has to pretend to be a nationally-ranked wrestler, having earned a top 20 spot. His next step toward the NCAA will be a difficult one both on and off the mats, though.
Tomorrow, Spates faces his father, Jack, who coaches the fourth-ranked Oklahoma squad.
"It's going to be a new experience," Spates said about seeing his father on the opposite bench. "I talked to my dad about it and it's a big thing for him dilemma-wise. My friends in high school used to laugh that my dad would start in the third row of the bleachers and end up in front of the mat when I wrestled. I don't know what he's going to do."
Jack Spates is in a unique position, figuring a way to defeat his son yet wanting him to succeed. With each of his 10 wrestlers nationally ranked, including No. 3 Michael Lightner at 141, who will oppose his son, Jack Spates plans to let his assistants face his son.
"My heart will be in my throat," the elder Spates said. "No matter what happens it doesn't affect my love or admiration for my son. Michael and his family share the same love for Jeremy. It's tough for them as well. Jeremy needs to come out and battle furiously and Michael needs to do his job and dominate his opponent the best he can."
The coach has watched his son wrestle several times during the years, including visiting Missouri earlier this season. But he wouldn't let his son compete in a tournament until he was 10. That didn't stop Jeremy from trying to get an early start.
"I desperately wanted him to wrestle, but I wanted it to be because he wanted it," Jack Spates said. "I remember he came up and said, `Dad I want to go in a tournament.' I told him we'd pass on it because he was still too young. He went to his mother and said, `The tournament registration fee is $7 and I have $10. If you talk dad into letting me go, you can have the other $3.' His tactic failed, but it created a great desire that's never waned."
Spates' desire will help as he faces his father and his long-time friend Lightner, but his toughest challenge might be overcoming his recent performances. Spates has lost three of his last four matches and has hit what his father calls "the freshman funk" when young athletes experience a loss of confidence.
"It's a little fatigue because this is a lot longer than the high school season," Spates said. "Some of it is a lack of experience. I'm also thinking about the end of the season. I'm ready for a break, but I want to keep working hard to reach my goals. The best guys have total mental preparation. I have to change my attitude and do what those guys do to win championship matches."
Spates has seen plenty of championship matches. Following his father from West Point to Cornell to Oklahoma, Spates hasn't missed a NCAA Championship since 1993 and has been around All-Americans most of his life. This year he plans to see the NCAA Championships in St. Louis from the floor level instead of from the stands.
"Every year is special," Spates said. "You see guys from American University who aren't well-known beat guys from Oklahoma and Iowa. Every match is hard-fought. There's awesome, crazy stuff that goes on. The closer I get I know if I can just win two or three matches you can become an All-American. I know how close I am now."
So does his father.