Whether behind or ahead, Pomona wrestling’s Theorius Robison never quits trying
After watching Theorius Robison win state titles as a freshman and sophomore for Pomona, one might never suspect that when he first began wrestling he was not that good at it.
While it may be natural to expect that someone who is physically gifted had come by talent naturally, if you dropped by to visit Theorius you might miss him because he was working out at the gym or going for a 5-mile trail run.
“Although you go into the practice room to get better,” he relates, “it is what you do outside the room that makes the difference.”
That may speak to why he is a two-sport state titleholder, as an all-purpose offensive back and special teams player for Pomona’s football team, which just won the Class 5A state title.
The work ethic he learned through his parents Theo and Ameaka is to “try hard in everything he does.”
This training was brought home in a semi-final match at Rocky Mountain Nationals, where he found himself down 6-1 heading into the third period. Like his favorite opening moment at an RMN event, when the first matches begin with the lights down, a light turned on inside Theorius once the whistle blew for the final minute-and-a-half.
Using the takedown and release strategy, Theorius not only made up that difference and more, he learned two important lessons: 1) it is not what technique you use, it is how well you execute the moves you select; 2) regardless of the score, always be prepared to outlast your opponent in the final period.
Theorius advises young wrestlers to “keep working hard. Keep your head down and focus on the details. Learn the fundamentals.”
At other times, Theorius wins with such ease that it may appear he is embarrassing his opponent; that is not his intent, he asserts – rather he never lets up because he always knows his foe may get back into the match. He never wants to underestimate his opponent.
Theorius also recognizes that “when you win there will always be those who love or hate you. I just don’t like to lose.”
Despite his success in- and out-of-state, including a Greco Cadet national championship in “the style that best suits my skills,” Theorius relates that “the sport of wrestling has taught me that when things get tough in life, when you take a loss not just on the mat, you have to know how to bounce back.”
The biggest influences in his life are his mother, father, and uncle who “all told me to try hard in everything I do in life. I know I have to be a good influence on my younger siblings.”
