Heavy Medal : Mason’s Last Stand as Cal Poly Wrestler Could Be on Podium

When it feels as if Neal Mason is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders it is usually because the opponent on his back is attempting to push his face into a wrestling mat.

Not this week.

Mason lately bears a far-more-cumbersome load.

He thinks about the sacrifices he’s made. The miles he’s run. The meals he’s missed. “The hours sitting on a bike going nowhere,” he recalls.

To what end? To this end.

Mason, a senior at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, has less than a month left as a college wrestler, a time he has trained for since he trusted Santa and the tooth fairy.

He was 8 when he started, hooked on the sport from the very first time his mother coaxed him over to the local high school to watch a match.

Like the other kids, Mason enjoyed playing football and soccer, but he never got used to the result of team sports often being out of his control.

“Other kids would score on the goalie or someone would score a touchdown and it was like, ‘Hey, that kid didn’t do his job,’ ” Mason said. “Everybody was always so quick to point a finger at someone else.

“When you lose a wrestling match you can only blame yourself, so you work harder.”

Mason, who competes in the 167-pound division, doesn’t lose often. His record is 23-3, and two of the losses can be attributed to a painful cut over his eye suffered early in the season.

Entering the Pacific 10 Conference meet today at Oregon State, the former Westlake High and Moorpark College standout is ranked seventh in one of the nation’s toughest weight classifications.

The top three wrestlers in each weight class at the Pac-10 meet qualify for the NCAA Division I championships, March 16-18, at Iowa. Eight other participants will receive at-large invitations.

Three of the wrestlers ranked ahead of Mason are from the Pac-10, but Cal Poly Coach Lennis Cowell isn’t concerned. The coach fully expects his prize pupil to qualify for the NCAA meet and challenge for a title.

“Neal controls his own destiny,” Cowell said. “He’s

capable of winning it all. He’s that good. The problem with Neal over the years is that he mentally lets down a little bit. He doesn’t have great matches when he should because he doesn’t believe he’s as good as he is.

“He’s a superstar-type kid. He can do it all. He doesn’t lack anything as far as quickness or athletic ability or strength.”

Cowell recalled Mason facing highly regarded Dan Alar of Oregon State last season. “Neal just kicked that kid’s butt,” Cowell said. “He was out of control. He opened up, didn’t worry about anything, and just pounded the guy.

“He wrestles like that and there’s no telling what he might do.”

Mason can’t seem to decide if the weight of such great expectations is a burden or a ballast.

“It’s kind of overwhelming, a little too big to grasp,” Mason said. “Everything I’ve trained for, this is it. But I try not to think of it that way. I’m afraid if I do I’ll put a little too much pressure on myself.”

During the past week, Mason has been filing away his innermost thoughts in a computer.

Some entries are technical or strategic. Most are inspirational.

“I’ve been telling myself things like, ‘Wrestle every minute of every match like it’s your very last match,’ ” Mason said.

“My mind is constantly moving and I wish sometimes I could remember the things going through my head that motivate me. This is the best way I’ve found to put them down and save them.”

In the off-season, Mason lets his hair go long, grows a goatee, weighs about 185 pounds and enjoys surfing and skateboarding.

“I have a surfboard, but I haven’t been able to use it much,” Mason said. “Winters are the best time up here and I’ve been missing out.”

Instead, much of his time is spent lifting weights, running and pedaling an exercise bike.

Mason recalls many holidays when family members were making plans for meals he was not able to fully enjoy. When friends asked him last November about his plans for Thanksgiving, Mason told them he would be in Las Vegas.

The day before would be spent shedding a final few pounds. On Thanksgiving, Mason would weigh in for a tournament. The next morning, competition started.

Through it all, Mason maintained a positive outlook. He says the discipline has benefited him as a student and person.

“You learn to dedicate yourself to things that are important,” Mason said. “Every day you sit yourself down and work for good grades, just like you train to get better as a wrestler. You practice math just like you practice wrestling moves.”

What he needs now is a winning equation.