Anthony Robles | Episode 7

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and readability.

Shane Sparks

And welcome to episode seven of Stories from the Resilite, another fantastic show, joined by a three-time All-American, a national champion in 2011 and check this out, he is the author of Unstoppable, I got my own copy, thanks to Anthony, From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion, foreword by Jay Leno. More on that in a second. Of course, the movie Unstoppable came out in 2024 Ben Affleck and Matt Damon's production company. It was a privilege for me to be a part of that. It showcased your story. It was fantastic. The one, the only Anthony Robles joining us from Arizona. Anthony, it is always great to see that big smile. How are you?

Anthony Robles

Hey, I'm doing well, Shane. It's great to see you, my friend. Great to catch up. Thank you for having me on.

Shane Sparks

Absolutely, want to start with this book real quick, The foreword by Jay Leno. How did that happen,

Anthony Robles

It's kind of a crazy experience, you know. After winning my title, I got to go to the ESPY Awards, and I received the honor of receiving the Jimmy V Award there, as well as the best male athlete with a disability. And so I show up to the arena, and you know, I'm backstage getting ready to go out to accept the Jimmy V Award, and I had no idea, but you know, they basically told me two minutes before that Jay Leno was going to be the guy to present it to me, and so you know I'm backstage, right, and I'm freaking out. It's my first big speaking event in front of this huge crowd, and Jay was actually really kind. Just so he was just so comforting for me, you know? He's just trying to settle me down. He's like, "Look, and he asked me, "He's like, 'Hey, is this harder than wrestling? I was like, 'No, absolutely not. He's like, 'Well, just remember that when you go out there, say just have fun with it, enjoy it.' And we pretty much hit it off from that moment on, man. He invited me out to a show to be on live on a show on my 23rd birthday, and then after that, you know, reached out to them to see if he wants to write the foreword on my book, and he graciously, graciously accepted the offer. So

Shane Sparks

some other people with comments on your book, and again, this is a fantastic read, Unstoppable Condoleezza Rice compliments your story, LaDainian Tomlinson, one of the great running backs, the phenomenal San Diego Charger. Serena Williams, like when you hear these kind of names and you hear how they feel about your story, what does that feel like internally for you,

Anthony Robles

It's an honor, you know. It's truly humbling for me, because you know, I never got into wrestling for attention. I just, I love the sport, you know. I love the one on one aspect of it. I loved how tough it was, and, you know, so to go through the sport, to have been blessed with the opportunity to reach my goals in the sport, and then also be rewarded at the end with opportunities like working on the book with these amazing people who stepped up and agreed to just support my story. It's an honor for me, you know. I never would have dreamt this opportunity would be possible, but just very blessed to have it.

Shane Sparks

What would a 10 year old Anthony Robles say if he could look in the crystal ball and see what a Anthony 3738 Now

Anthony Robles

37 now, yes, sir, 37 What would that 10 year old Anthony Robles make of all this, he would have been, he'd be shocked, you know. You're living the dream right now, and it's kind of crazy, you know. I thinking back, you know, when I was 10, 11 years old, and you know, I got in wrestling when I was 14, but you know, someone had told me back then, when I was just basically just struggling through life, you know, trying to find a purpose, trying to find my identity, my self-confidence. You know, had someone told me one day you'd be a national wrestling champ, and all these other opportunities to present themselves for you, I would never have thought it was possible. You know, so that just goes to show you, man, if you just take every day, one day at a time, you know, just remember to count your blessings and take advantage of every opportunity in front of you. I mean, there's no telling what you can accomplish in your life

Shane Sparks

when you look at your journey, what's the one aspect that surprises you the most?

Anthony Robles

Well, you know, I would say, for me, I don't like asking for help like ever, you know, I just like to be on my own. I like to just put my head down and grind, but just looking back, the aspect that surprises me the most is just how much help I had along the way. You know, just looking back now, I really, I do realize that, and I'm blessed with the circle around me, who they're still tight with me to this day. And that goes back to my high school coaches, you know, my high school teachers who helped me to prepare and be eligible to go to college. When I got to college, my coaches, there, my teammates, you know, who surrounded me, who trained with me, took time for me, my family, who supported me throughout the ups and downs, you know, just all these people that were just taking time to pour love and energy into me, and it might not have been like, you know, something they said specifically that I remember, but just knowing that they had my back, you know, knowing that they're there to pick me up when I was feeling down, that got me through a lot of tough times, and that got me here today. So, you know, even though I didn't ask for help a lot, and I didn't want it, I'm just so blessed, man, that there are people who are kind enough to look out for me and were willing to offer that helping hand, even though I didn't ask for it. It

Shane Sparks

takes an army, and nobody can accomplish anything. Great to the magnitude that you have by themselves. I've been fortunate, as not like you have, to have just great mentors, teachers, coaches, people that believed in me. Who's the first person that you remember really believing in you that still stands out to this day?

Anthony Robles

100% my mom, you know, without a doubt, I don't even think I have to think hard about that one, because you know, my mom, when I was born, I was born missing my leg, and you know, pretty much the doctors from day one were telling her in that hospital room all the things I wasn't gonna be able to do with my life, you know, that I'll be needing full-time medical care, and basically they set the bar low for me, you know, they expected me to fail, but I was just blessed with the mom who didn't see me in that light, you know. She raised me with my head in the clouds, and you know, she taught me to focus on what I was capable of, and just finding solutions, you know. There's always going to be a setback, there's always going to be an excuse, there's always going to be a challenge out there, but the key, it's just, you know, you find a solution, you focus on finding the solution, you know, just keep moving forward one step at a time, and she taught me that, you know, she was my hero from day one, because she forced me to never let my challenge become an excuse.

Shane Sparks

When did you realize, Anthony, that you were different?

Anthony Robles

Was interesting, you know. I remember growing up, I knew I was different, you know, obviously missing my leg. I knew I was different, but my family never made it a big deal, you know. For me, having one leg, having two legs was the same thing as me being a boy, my sister being a girl, right? Nothing, nothing major. My family didn't treat it that anything like anything major, but when I started to go to school, I think specifically it was like right around like second, third grade, when I started to really notice, you know, I go into class on the first day of school, or I go to the recess on the first day of school, and everyone's staring at me, you know, the kids are whispering, they're all asking what happened, and that was when my eyes were really opened, like, okay, I'm different, I guess it is kind of a big deal to people, you know, and I really did struggle with that for a long time, growing up, you know. I had self-confidence issues. School made me nervous. I like to just be in the back of the room, where no one could really see me, and I struggled, you know. But one thing that really helped me to come out of my shell was just being introduced to wrestling, you know. It just helped me to develop that self-confidence, but you know, just kind of forcing me to go out there on the mat all alone, win or lose, man. I was building confidence up, you know. I was just going out there and saying, okay, this is what I am, I'm gonna be proud of it, I'm gonna do the best of what I got.

Shane Sparks

Want to ask about your introduction to wrestling, but I want to just stick with being a young kid. I can't imagine, I mean, kids are mean, I mean, kids are mean. Is there a story or two that here we are over three decades later that still hits you a little bit different when you think back to, you know, being a young kid and dealing with what you did?

Anthony Robles

Oh, absolutely. You know, one in particular is actually it was second grade as the first day of school, you know, show up in the morning for recess, and I remember, you know, I see a tire swing, you know, a bunch of kids are playing on it, so I'm excited. I run over there, and I tried to get on the tire swing, and one of the little boys that was already on it, he actually said, "He's like, I don't want to play with you because you're missing your leg, and, man, that one, like, little kid, you know, for me, it just, it broke my heart, you know, it just kind of turned everything upside down for me. It's like, well, I mean, do people not like me because I'm missing my leg? You know, I'm different, or, you know, do my parents think the same thing? Do my siblings? So, you know, that's really when it became an eye opener. And there are other stories along the way, you know, just people, kids, you know, especially being in school, just kind of whispering, kind of pointing, laughing when I walked by, stuff like that, you know, it was hard, you know, it was really difficult for me, but you know, I think it was something that big picture, now that I look back, I'm grateful for it, you know, because it's made me mentally stronger, tougher, and it made me just appreciate just to embrace being unique, you know, this is the way God made me, and everyone's born unique in their own ways, you know. And that's something I tried out when I speak to kids across the country, I share with them, hey, we're all different, you know, curly hair, short, whatever, you know, you all have your own unique thing that makes you embrace that, you know, don't try to be like everybody else, don't try to fit in, like, you know, stand up for what you believe in, be you, and be proud of that, and you know, miss me missing a leg. It kind of forced me to do that. You are an inspiration to so many.

Shane Sparks

Who inspires you? I mean, who are some people that inspire you?

Anthony Robles

My mom, number one, you know, just not only the way she raised me, but also just the lessons that she taught me by her actions, you know. Just seeing her for a longest time, she was a single parent, you know. I had three little brothers and a little sister, and my mom was grinding away, you know, at a part-time job, and then she was taking night classes to get her college degree. And fast forward, now she's working at Arizona State, you know, she's got. Bachelor's, her master's degree, and you know she's killing it over there, you know. So, just to see her, who, who never made excuses for herself, you know, who every single day when I get home from school, she always had a smile on her face, and you know, she did what was best for her kids at all times, and she expected the best out of her kids at all times, and that's something now, as a parent, you know, I got a three and a half year old son, I'm just constantly amazed at that. There's the lessons that my mom taught me, how she was able to keep everything handled on her own, and you know, here my wife and I are with just one little boy, and that's a handful, you know. So my mom is number one, and another one was my high school coach, Bobby Williams. You know, he was really like a father figure to me, you know. I remember stepping in his room, and really from day one in that wrestling room, he already treated me like I was a state champ, you know. Whereas other people, other coaches might have saw me, like, oh, you know, this kid, he's not going to do much in wrestling, you know, he's missing his leg, there's all these things he doesn't have, you know, he's balance, whatever, go through the list. But Coach Williams is like, you know, in a lot of ways, he echoed my mom's words. You know, it's like, we're not going to let your challenge become an excuse, we're going to find solutions for you. And over time, that's what we're able to do. You know, he was a huge part of that, just helping me develop a style that was very unique, that people hadn't really seen before. And even when I was in college competing, I would still go back to that high school wrestling room with him on certain ages, just to work on specific things, so on the mat, off the mat, he's really been a great mentor to me still to this day. I can only imagine,

Shane Sparks

Anthony, how great of a father you are. I recently had Terry Brands on this podcast, and he had some really good things, and one of those was regardless of your situation, maybe you deal with a family that has battled alcoholism. He used that as an example. I was a personal experience of his, but he said you got to be the person that breaks the bend. You got to be the person that breaks the trend. You didn't, you know, that was one of the challenges in your life was you lack that father figure, that male role model. How have you been able to break the bend in that aspect?

Anthony Robles

I think in two ways, two things I focus on. You know, number one, you know, I didn't have the best father figure growing up at home, but you know what, that taught me what not to do in a lot of ways, you know, and I think it's a lot like athletics, right? It's like you make mistakes, right? Things don't go your way, but you learn from that, like, okay, I need to correct these things, I can't do this next time. That's the way I treat what I went through, you know. It's like, okay, I know what I'm not going to do, I know what I wanted from a father figure, I know what I was hoping for from a father figure. So I'm going to be that now for my son, and also it's just taking every day and just trying to be better, you know. My goal, my goals in life, it's to be a great husband a great father, and that's a daily battle, and it's a daily challenge, and it's a daily opportunity to get better, to improve. So, look for those ways to where I can get better as a father, you know, look for ways I can show my son that I love him, you know, and just be kind to him, and teach him what it means to be a polite, respectful little boy, and then one day a young man, you know. So it's just finding those opportunities to improve and not be complacent, say, well, you know, I'm just going to take it day by day. It's like, no, find a way to get better today, find a way to improve, and just stack up those points little by little, you know, towards your goal, whether it's be a good husband, a good father, you know, just little by little you chip away at that every day.

Shane Sparks

What do you think is the key to being a good husband, good father?

Anthony Robles

Oh, that's a good question, you know. I'd say the key to being a good husband is just listening, you know, being willing to listen, humility, you know, I don't always have the answers, and it's a team, you know, my wife and I were a team, so we got to collaborate, you know, and as far as being a good father, I think at the end of the day it's just making sure that my son knows that I love him, you know, just, but I got his back, that I support him, that no matter what, as he grows up, doesn't matter if he does something wrong, doesn't matter if you know I'm mad at him for something, I just want him to know that I love him, he can come to me no matter what, with everything, and if you know, if I can do that, at the end of the day, it's just giving your very best, you know, just knowing that, okay, I might not have been perfect today, and no one is, but you know, if you gave your best effort, you know, if you're tried, you know, to be a good husband, to be a good father, that's what really matters, and that's what I try to try to do on a daily basis, you know, just give my very best effort.

Shane Sparks

What's your son's name?

Anthony Robles

Abel.

Shane Sparks

Abel, and your wife's name,

Anthony Robles

Laura.

Shane Sparks

Where did you meet Laura?

Anthony Robles

It was actually a mutual friend through ASU wrestling, you know, he was someone who supported the program, he's one of the donors, and she worked with him at, you know, one of his previous companies, and separately he was telling us, I have someone that you should really meet, I think the two of you had hit it off, and he was very persistent for a couple months to where he's just telling us it's like you really need to meet this person one day, you know. We happen to be at the same event and he was there, so he introduced us and we hit it off, you know. And the rest is history after that. I think we'll see, we're going up on five years married, coming up in November, and it'll be 10 years together total.

Shane Sparks

What is your favorite thing about her?

Anthony Robles

Say, my favorite thing about my wife, it's just her kind heart, you know. It's just, you know, she's always eager and just, you know, putting everybody first, you know, ahead of herself, just trying to make everyone happy, just trying to make sure everyone, make sure everyone's comfortable. She's just so loving, you know, that was one thing that just really I noticed right off the bat, just her smile, her kindness, her loveliness to other people, and how she just draws people towards her, you know, because of her attitude. So that positivity, you know, really what you know what made her stand out to me.

Shane Sparks

You said, Anthony, you started wrestling when you were 14, were you a freshman in high school?

Anthony Robles

I was actually. I, so we moved from California. It was like July. We moved from Southern California into Mesa, and you know, we hadn't started school yet, didn't know anybody, didn't have any friends. But at the time, my cousin, who was three years older than me, he was wrestling in Tucson at South Point high school, and so you know, he calls me up. He's like, "Hey, you know, spend the week out here with me in Tucson. You can come to my wrestling practice, you can lift weights. He's like, "You know, if you want to try, you know, to jump on the mat, you can do it. And so I drive down there, spend a couple days with him. I'm going to practice, right, and I'm lifting weights, and I'm watching, you know, the guys go through their tumble lines, their warm-ups, they're drilling, and it's like, oh, you know, it's that's pretty cool, you know, but for me, I wanted to play football, you know, so I'm just trying to get big and strong, and one day his coach, you know, after a couple practices, his coach comes up, he's like, "Hey, you should try it out, you know, you're like, you're a lightweight, you're how much do you weigh? I'm like, "Well, 90 pounds, he said, "Yeah, we got a 103 pound weight class, actually, our lightweight needs a, you know, our 103 needs a partner today, and I actually told him, no, I was like, no, thank you, Coach, I'm gonna stick to lifting weights, you know, and my cousin comes over, he's like, man, just try it, he's like, just jump on the mat for like 10 minutes, he's like, if you don't like it, can come off, go back to lifting, and I went out, got thrown around the room, you know, I remember I was just exhausted, like every part of my body hurt, and was just achy and tired, but man, I fell in love with wrestling right at that moment. It's like, man, I want to be a wrestler, forget about football, it's just this is what I want to do from here on out.

Shane Sparks

I know you're a big Raiders fan, and you and I have spent a lot of time together, Anthony, lot of great conversations off air on the air, but you just said something that blows my mind, and it, I think, will now become top of mind when I think about Anthony Robles. Did I just hear you saying, I mean this with all due respect, but it speaks to your mentality? You wanted to play football, explain that. Yeah, you know, I've always been a big Raiders fan, and I played flag football sixth and seventh grade, and then tackle football for ninth grade, and after that focused 100% on wrestling, but were you all good with your with your crutches?

Anthony Robles

No, I just hopped around the field, you know, I was pretty quick. Oh yeah, you know, I weighed 90 pounds, I was small, but I was quick, and I could, I can hop around in short spurts very fast. Ninth grade, you know, they put me on a defensive line. I was strong, I was little, and you know, as these kids start to get bigger, it's like, okay, this isn't going to work anymore, you know. But, yeah, I just, I just hopped around the field, man. It was just, uh, again, just going back to what my mom told me, is there was never anything I couldn't do, it was just a matter of asking myself, how can I do it? You know, just finding the solution. So, yeah, that was my solution for football. Just hop around that field as quick as I could.

Shane Sparks

I think I'm more impressed with that than you beating McDonnell in 2011 Honestly, God, that is a remarkable story of perseverance, self-belief, as you said, not wondering what you can't do, but doing what you can do. But that's incredible. So, wrestling wise, Anthony, correct me if I'm wrong, under 500 as a freshman.

Anthony Robles

Oh yeah, man, I think I won, like, was like three and seven something, it was something bad, yeah, as a freshman, last place in the Mesa City Tournament, that was a terrible year, learning year,

Shane Sparks

and then you become a what, two time state champ.

Anthony Robles

Yep, so I was a two time state champ, a three time state placer, and a high school national champ. And really, it was just, you know, I started to kind of take a turn, turn that corner. It was in between my freshman and sophomore year, Mesa High, the varsity wrestling room was open, they're doing varsity practices, so I went in there, and man, I was getting my butt kicked pretty much every day, but you know, for me, again, going back to finding solutions, right? I was just taking notes every single time they beat me up, I was like, what are they doing, you know, I need to do that, or what are they doing, how can I counter that, you know, what's the answer to that, and just finding the puzzle pieces, and you. Know, I think I was blessed with a great group around me that I got to train with and learn from, who kind of basically kind of put me on the fast track of just learning the sport, you know, learning what it takes to be a solid wrestler. Henry Cejudo grew up not too far from me, you know, so before he went to the Olympic Training Center, either he was driving out to Mesa High to train with, you know, myself and my buddy Chris Freije, or we were driving to Maryvale. You know, there's a couple state champs down the street at Red Mountain High. Nate Lee, you know, who was a couple times state champ for Boise. You know, you lived up in Payson, so we go up there for a week and just camp out, wrestle, and hang out. You know, so learning from these guys, these solid wrestlers, may help me to pick up the sport pretty quickly.

Shane Sparks

What was Cejudo like at that time?

Anthony Robles

He was fun, man. He was intense, he was tough, and you know, he prided himself in being tough. You know, he grew up in Maryvale, which is a tough area. I grew up in Mesa, which is also a tough area. So it was just about scrapping, you know, and he got the best of me back then. But, man, I learned a lot, and I think that's where we really hit it off, was just our mentalities, was you know, just that willingness, that the willingness to go out there and just be aggressive and wanted to fight, and it was fun, you know, those summers with Henry, with Chris, we go to a morning practice, go to Chris's house, and have some lunch, you know, watch some wrestling videos on TV, then go back for a second practice later on the day, you know, that was fun, that was what we loved to do, and you know, I was with a great group of people who had the similar mindset.

Shane Sparks

Who are your favorite wrestlers? Were you a college wrestling fan? Did you watch any on TV? How involved were you from a fan standpoint

Anthony Robles

when I was in high school?

Shane Sparks

In high school, yes.

Anthony Robles

So, when I was in high school, you know, I started watching ESPN. I'd say the guys that I really like to watch, you know, obviously, you know, Cael Sanderson, you know, and he's coming through, and with me being an Arizona boy, you know, and then ASU to be not too far away, I got an amazing opportunity to watch Eric Larkin, you know, Brian Stith was coming through when I was in high school, so I'd watch him on the weekends, you know, go over to ASU to watch matches, Kane Velasquez, you know, I remember, let's see, who's I watching. I remember, like, watching Troy Nickerson coming through. I think I was like, I was like, couple years behind him, but you know, watching him kind of going through the college ranks, and Joe Dubuque, you know, watching him, I was like, man, he's, he's big, I gotta get bigger wrestling that level, I gotta get stronger. So, yeah, you know, and obviously you know I was always a big Iowa fan, you know, so I grew up watching the season, you know, when I got into wrestling, so from ninth grade through high school, man, I was always about Iowa, whether it was watching Mocco on there, and you know, the brands, it was that was what I love to do, try to get that Iowa style and implement my own wrestling.

Shane Sparks

Did you want to wrestle in college. I mean, did you know pretty early on, hey, I want to wrestle in college.

Anthony Robles

Early on, I knew I wanted to, like, man, that would be awesome, that'd be fun, you know. But it was really. I'd say it was after my junior year when I won my first state title, when it was like, okay, this is no longer. I'd like to do that now, it's. I'm going to do that, like that was the first checkpoint on my list, like I need to win a state title, so that's going to open the doors for me to wrestle in college. Now, no, I'm good enough to wrestle in college. So, yeah, after my junior year, that's when I really started taking it seriously. It's like, okay, I need to start preparing for the college level now. You know, this isn't just about high school wrestling and my record and trying to protect that, and it's no, I need to gear up and be as solid as I can foundationally for the college level, you know, for the next next step up,

Shane Sparks

whether it was in Arizona or on the national scene. What's your most memorable match?

Anthony Robles

Oh, my most memorable match, I would say honestly, Mike, Mike, man, my college national title, that finals match, nothing tops that me. Okay, what about in high

Shane Sparks

school? What about in high school?

Anthony Robles

Oh, in high school, in

Shane Sparks

high school,

Anthony Robles

in high school, let's see, just kind of thinking back, you know, it was my first high school state title that match, just because, you know, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself, you know, it's like, like, kind of like I mentioned, it's like I need to do this so that I can compete in college, and so I can prove that I'm to everyone that I'm good enough, you know. So, there was a lot of stress for me going into that match, you know, just, you know, chasing after my goal, but also, you know, fighting the mental games that everybody has to fight, you know. That the wrestling on the wrestling match, the guy that I was competing against, you know, he beat someone earlier on, I think it was, I think it was in the semis, a guy from Mesquite, who I remember my very first varsity match, the Mesquite kid, he, he was like a point away from teching me, he ended up pinning me, and so I saw him my junior year, is like, okay, this is the guy I need to beat people, my state title, you know, and then to see him get knocked off in the semis by this other dude who made it up, it's like, okay, I've never. Faces of the dude, you know, I never seen him around before. What's he about? So, you know, that was nerve-wracking for me. You know, I'm sure a lot of wrestlers can relate to that, and there's pressure on me, which I know a lot of wrestlers can relate to that, but you know, winning that title right there, man, for me it was, it was special, because I felt like I earned a lot of people's respect. You know, I felt up into that point I had received some attention, you know, and done some local interviews, and you know, some newspaper interviews, which was an honor for me. Don't get me wrong, you know, but I felt like in some ways I hadn't earned it yet, if that makes any sense, you know. I felt like I was getting that attention because people saw me as, like, "Oh, this, this kid is missing his leg, he's going out there, he's wrestling, it's inspiring, which it's an honor for me, right? But for me personally, like, I haven't done it yet, you know, I haven't reached my goal yet, I don't deserve this just yet. So winning that first title for me, it felt like it was validating a lot of ways.

Shane Sparks

What was the recruiting process like for you

Anthony Robles

going to college, yes, yeah, you know, I didn't receive the offers that I was hoping for, you know, some smaller D-II, D-III schools reached out, which is an honor. I always had that goal, I wanted to go Division One, you know, I was at the top of my list, and, but you know, I think a lot of D-I programs didn't think I could compete at that level, you know. I was, I was small in some ways, and I wrestled 112 my senior year of high school. I was bouncing around to 119 but I think they still saw me, you know, being too little. And then, you know, at the time, I mean, wrestling scholarships, there weren't a ton of them, you know. I think we were like nine or 10 for ASU for the 33 man roster, so saw me as being risky, so you know, as far as the D-I offers go, I remember getting a full ride offer from Drexel University, but that was pretty much it for me, you know. And Drexel was an amazing opportunity, it was an honor. Ultimately, I decided to not accept it because I felt like I needed to stay around home, just with what was going on at home. There was some tension, you know, with my former stepfather, and I felt like I needed to be around my family to, to support, you know, to be there just in case, and so ASU, you know, they offered me a walk-on opportunity, you know, for the most part, had an academic scholarship, so just try to take that opportunity and just make the most of it, you know, stick around home and just fight for what I wanted most, that title and a full scholarship,

Shane Sparks

you lose in the blood round as a red shirt freshman.

Anthony Robles

Yes,

Shane Sparks

what was that experience like? Who is it against, and what's that experience like? Because that is just losing in the blood round, I mean, there is, you win it's the high and high, you lose it, there's low overload, there's nothing in between on that Friday night. What do you remember from that setback,

Anthony Robles

I remember it was a battle, you know. I remember I was wrestling Tanner Gardner from Stanford, tough. You know, he's a tough wrestler. He was a senior that year, and we were going back and forth, you know, as a tight match. I think, like, right up till the end, it was like, like one point in between us, and you know, I remember I tried to force a move, little kind of boot scoot arm drag, if I remember correctly, I forced it and wasn't there, you know, and Tanner capitalized on it and took me down, and he won the match, and man, to get all the way up to that point, you know, to be one match away, having to grind through that tournament, and just feeling the wear and tear of it all, and to be come up that short, it broke my heart. You know, I remember just immediately I just started crying. I remember Tanner gave me a hug, which he was a really cool guy, and I got a lot of respect for him. He gave me a hug on the mat after we got done competing, and he told me, he said, right there, he's like, "You're going to be a national champ one day, and you know, I just remember going to his corner, and you know, shaking Coach McCoy's hand, and you know, I was crying, man, but I do remember very vividly, actually, you know, I'm crying, I'm walking back under the tunnel, just feeling defeated, I remember just receiving a standing ovation from the crowd, and that was very humbling, you know. It was very comforting in a lot of ways, you know. It's just like I'm seeing the wrestling community, the wrestling family out there, they're accepting me, you know. They're, they're, they're acknowledging me as one of their own, and that meant the world to me. You know, as a kid coming through, you know, grinding through the college rankings, trying to make a name for myself, just them doing that. I felt like they recognized me, saying, "Okay, we see you, man. You'll be around the next couple of years. We'll be here too, you know. We'll be cheering for you. And that meant a lot, you know. It stung to lose that match, but man, that moment right there was very special, and it inspired me to come back fighting every single year.

Shane Sparks

That next year you came back, took fourth, an all-American, your first of three all-American honors, that is for a guy like me almost impossible to comprehend just how difficult it is to get that accolade next to your name when you became an all-American for the first time, describe those emotions.

Anthony Robles

And I remember that tournament, just going into it mentally, I was on a different level, you know, I was, I was fired up, I was like, yeah, I'm getting it this year, it doesn't matter who's in my way, I don't care what the bracket looks like, you know, I'm not even paying attention, I'm just gonna go out and anybody that stands on that mat across from me is gonna get torn up, you know, and I just went in fight in every match, and so, you know, to get that, get that honor of realizing that was as an all-American, you know, for my first time. In a lot of ways, it was relieving, you know. It kind of. I felt like it took some weight off of me, because, like, that blood round, you know, you hit that round and you get knocked down, man. It kind of sticks in your head for a while. It's like you don't want that repeating curse, you know, it's like, okay, I could be one match away, I can do it here, and I was stressing about that, like, am I ever going to break through, you know, am I, or am I going to keep falling short? So to finally get that all-American nod to realize that, okay, yes, I punched through, now let's see how far I can take this man, that was an incredible honor, I was so excited, and it was special, because my mom was there, you know, my little brother was there, and just celebrated with them. My high school coaches went every year, so they saw it. It's like, finally, you know, finally I'm earning my place here now. You know, I'm being recognized as one of the top wrestlers in the country. So very special to break through. Finally, the

Shane Sparks

mental game of this sport is for me what is the most fascinating. I mean, I would love to be in the minds of all you guys, just to see what you guys are experiencing from a mental standpoint. Anthony, like, what did you do to get better mentally? What, what did you, what are the biggest differences to your approach? And then, how were you able to strengthen yourself mentally,

Anthony Robles

I'd say for me that a couple of big adjustments that I made is that number one, I stopped focusing on the winning and losing at a certain point, you know, because when you're focused on that, there's so much pressure that you're putting on yourself, especially like in the match, you know, when you're in the blood round, when you're whatever, you know, it's like, oh, I don't want to make a mistake, right, and then you basically you stop wrestling to win, and now you're wrestling to not lose. You're protecting yourself, right? You're, you're timid, you're not taking the shots you would usually take when you see the openings, you know, you're not going for those attacks and scoring points because you don't want to make a mistake. So, for me, you know, I just try to tell myself I just need to win the positions, you know, it's not the win and losing at the end, I just focus on the position. I try to beat the position. I try to beat my opponent within the position, breaking things down, and also, you know, just going in there, realizing, you know, I've done all I can do. You know, I showed up every day to practice. I got the most out of practice. I had my little checklist of objectives that I wanted to accomplish in practice, whether it was specific techniques, whether it was I need to score this amount with this move, or I need to, you know, counter this many times with this move, I did those things, you know, I prepared for this moment, and now it's just about me going out there and executing, you know, the end result isn't guaranteed, you know, all you can do is everything you can leading up to it to prepare, and then just go out there and just give your best shot, and so when I started to shift my focus more on that, just giving my best effort, just, you know, preparing the best that I could, and letting the results be what they were going to be, it was freeing in a lot of ways, you know. It just kind of let me go out there and just, just wrestle my best, rather than just wrestling for, you know, a place on the podium. It's like, doesn't really matter, you know, at the end of the day, go out there and just let yourself compete at the level you know you can compete at, you know, rather than put so much weight on you put so much weight on you to where you're, you're limiting yourself, you know, you're wrestling out of fear.

Shane Sparks

2011 you were the number one seed. Matt McDonough was in that bracket, national champion from Iowa. See the Cliff Keen poster behind you, getting your arm raised. When you look back to that tournament, heading into the tournament, what were the emotions? What was the mindset? What do you remember from that time?

Anthony Robles

Yeah, that was bittersweet. I remember, because it's like wrestling can be a grind, you know. And I was a fifth year senior, and, man, I loved every minute of my college and high school journey. There was the ups and downs, and, but it's like, man, you know, on one hand I'm excited for the next chapter of my life, but on the other hand, it's like, man, I'm going to miss this, you know, I'm going to miss having to wake up every morning and train for something, you know, getting my lifts in, and then going to school, and then going to practice, you know, I'm going to miss the road trips with my teammates and my coaches, and I'm going to miss that first day, rather, first the first evening, you know, getting to wherever the NCAA tournament was at, you know, getting into the arena to kind of get a practice in to get my weight down, say, man, this is the last time, you know, this is the last time, and it's just trying to savor those moments going through it, so you know that tournament for me very bittersweet, but I just remember just really feeling excited, because in a way I felt like I was wrestling for a bigger purpose, you know, up until that point it was like I want to be a national champ, right, like I want to be the best. Best, I want to prove to people that I can be the best, but when I, my senior year, what I was focused on is, like, you know, I want to show kids out there that, hey, you know, at the end of the day, what really matters is giving your best effort, you know, because nothing's guaranteed, right? You can do everything right leading up to something, and something can go wrong during, right, and it can fall apart, but what matters is just knowing that I tried. I gave my 100% you know. So that's what I wanted to share with kids, because you know, my junior year I had a setback. You know, I still became an All-American, but I finished seventh, far from what I wanted and what I expected. But I remember, you know, during that downtime that summer, when I was really just broken, you know. I was just discouraged. I received a stack of letters from a group of third graders in Atlanta, and they decided to write me as their hero of the week. I believe, you know, if I remember correctly, the teacher, he had read an article from USA Wrestling about me, and they wanted to write me after I lost, and so that opened my eyes, like, okay, man, I'm not. these kids aren't writing me because I'm the champion, you know? They're writing me just because I had the courage to go out there and try, you know, to try to battle through my challenges. So that's what changed for me, my senior year, and going to that tournament. It's like I'm wrestling for these kids that are watching me, you know? I want to. I want to share a message with them, that's what's most important right now. It's not the bracket, it's not the trophy, it's not the ring, it's just, you know, I have a platform to share a message, and I'm going to share it, and whatever happens at the end is going to happen at the end.

Shane Sparks

That is great stuff. That was an electric night in Philadelphia. That was the first national tournament, Anthony, I'd ever been to, the first one ever broadcasted, so the first championship match ever broadcasted was, was you and McDonough, and I've obviously friends with you, friends with Matt, and here we are, you know, 1516 years later, the time keeps on flying by, but that's fantastic. I was going to ask you, and we talked about this before we started recording. Hey, where's the wall chart? And you have that wall chart right behind you when you look at that wall chart, like what comes to mind instantly when you look at that

Anthony Robles

comes to my mind is the grind, you know, it's the battles of that tournament, man. I mean, three days that you're wrestling the best wrestlers in the country, and it's like, you know, like the sessions that are broken up throughout the day, it's like you're firing yourself up for one, all the emotions getting through it, and then you get some rest, come back later on, and do it all again, and then you gotta watch your weight and wake up the next day, your body's hurting, and then you gotta repeat, and at the end of it's like everybody's hurting, everybody's sore, you're beat up mentally, you're drained and fatigued, but it's like, man, I gotta keep going, I gotta find the energy in me to fight. This is, this is what I've prepared for, you know. So that bracket for me, it just represents that physical and mental battle every single time I look at it, that I had to go through, and that every wrestler goes through to that tournament, and it's special, you know. It's just the atmosphere, the energy in that arena, you know. In that tournament, it's you can't really explain it in words, you know. It's like, like, when you're out underneath that tunnel, and you're, man, you're watching the wrestlers come back through, who are victorious, you know, who are celebrating with their coaches, who maybe they had a big upset, you know, they're fired up. And then the other side of it, you're watching the guys who just had their heart broken, you know, who are crushed, and you know, their coaches are walked behind them, you can see the crushed look on their face, and they got to try to figure out how to pick the pieces back up, and you know, get their guy to keep going, you know, to dust themselves off, man. That's that bracket for me, it represents all that, you know, it's just the whole entire journey of just my college wrestling career, that tournament, the ups and downs, and just the love for the sport.

Shane Sparks

Did you wrestle for Shawn Charles all five years?

Anthony Robles

No, I wrestled for Coach Charles my last two years, and my first three years were with Thom Ortiz. Yeah, so I redshirted my first year, and then, you know, yeah, with Coach Ortiz three, and then Charles two.

Shane Sparks

What are some of the things that you took from from those two coaches, I so

Anthony Robles

I say from Coach Ortiz, and I just. I loved him. I still do. You know, he was just somebody who, you know, for me he was always positive. You know, he was always just really laid back, and just really. it's like, you know, we're gonna figure this out. He's like, you're doing. you know, he had a lot of just good things to say for me. I was hard on myself a lot of the time, you know. He was just someone who can kind of rearing me in a little bit. It's like, hey, relax, you know, we're going to figure this out. This is part of the process, you know. Just stick to it, you know, you're going to be fine. Just a comforting presence for me and Coach Charles, man. I love him as well. Just a great sense of humor, you know, he's very light hearted, but at the same time, what I liked about Coach Charles is he wasn't afraid to call you out on things you needed to be called out on. You know, for me, I was always known for being tough on top, you know, good top wrestler, I could ball and chain, wrist tilts, if I got a wrist, it was, you know, I was going to do some damage, but one thing Coach. Always called out, you know, when he got to ASU, when we were watching film, he's like, "Look, he's like, 'Hey, if you can get a wrist, he's like, 'Yeah, you're dangerous. He's like, 'But if you have to ride someone out, if you don't get a wrist right away, if you don't get your turns right away, we can kind of see that your confidence starts to crumble. You start making mistakes, you give up easy escapes or reversals. He's like, 'You're you're you need to be a tough rider, he says, not just a tough turner, you got to be a tough rider, and you know, I remember hearing that, and you know, I kind of gotta, you know, upset a little bit about, I was angry, what are you talking about, you know, because I started thinking about, I was like, man, he's right, you know, coach is right, I, this is the area I need to improve on, um, and again, it helped me to level up, you know, so just both those guys, man, just so many great lessons I learned from each of them. I'm still close to both of them still to this day, but just very appreciative of how they coached me, how they led our program, and just how they helped me to reach my goals.

Shane Sparks

Have to talk about the movie Unstoppable that came out in 2024 sir. What was the genesis like? Where did that begin, man?

Anthony Robles

It goes back to 2011 the night I won my title. Actually, you know, is that night I was getting phone calls from production companies who were interested in signing my life rights for a movie, and so my mom and I, you know, we were completely taken aback by that. We didn't expect any of that, but we knew right away it was like, okay, this is over our heads. You know, we need to find some representation, someone who can give us some good advice. And so I interviewed a couple agencies and ended up finding my manager, who's still my manager today. His name's Gary, and I just like the best. Gary's the best. You know, I loved how honest he was with me right off the bat, because we're all the other production companies, or you know, these other agencies, like, yeah, you got to jump on it now. You know, the story's hot, everyone's wanting you to sign your life rights, do it now. Gary is like, you need to slow down, he's like, look, he's got to be careful, he's like, you know, Hollywood's a different business. Yes, you could sign your life rights, you can, you know, get a check, they can make a movie about you, but you don't know what they're going to tell. What story is it going to be? Is it going to be something you recognize at the end of the day? So he gave me some advice, and you know, let's take our time, let's come out with a script, let's do this slower, but you have more control.

Anthony Robles

And so fast forward to, you know, 2022 23 when we started filming the movie, long time passed, you know, but man, to have Artists Equity with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and Amazon. I remember the very first meeting that I had with them. Ben was like, 'Hey, first and foremost we want to make you proud of how this movie is told. So, if there's anything you do not like, anything your family doesn't like, you let us know. We'll change it. We want this to be your story. We want you to be involved with it throughout the entire process. And you know they were true to that. You know that they every single script revision we received, the script we got to read over it, we got to give back our notes. Our director, William Goldenberg, was the same way. You know, as we were going through the film, he's like, are you comfortable with this? Should we change it? And obviously, you know it is Hollywood, you know, that to adjust some things here and there, but there was any, there wasn't anything major to where my family and I were like, "No, we just do not feel comfortable with this, you know. So we appreciated that, just then we wanted to work with us and ultimately come out with the finished product of the film that I can be proud of, you know. It's something that you know I can enjoy watching with my family, and one day I'm going to watch it with my son when he's old enough, but it's something that this is our legacy now, you know, and it's something that we can stand behind, and we're just, you know, I'm grateful because we didn't just rush and make the quick decision, we made the right decision.

Shane Sparks

When was your first pinch me moments with the whole movie,

Anthony Robles

I would say the first pinch me moment, because they brought me in to be the body double, the stunt double, so I was, I was a part of all the wrestling scenes, as you know. So the first pinch me moment was when we were filming the first wrestling day, is the high school nationals wrestling scene, you know, out there in California, and you know, I'm freaking out, right? It's like all these people, all these cameras. Jennifer Lopez is in the audience, you know, so she's gonna watch me wrestle, and like, oh man, I gotta remember the wrestling choreography on all of it. So that was the pinch me moment, right there. And it was, it was special because my family was there too. Yeah, my mom, my wife was there, my son, who was just about to turn one, he turned one. When we were filming, he was sitting in the director's chair, you know. We have a little picture of him. That was the pinch me moment for me. It's like, man, how did I get here? You know, like we're filming a movie, Jennifer Lopez, all this stuff. It was a blessing.

Shane Sparks

What was your favorite part about the process in putting the movie together,

Anthony Robles

my favorite part, you know, I would say there was two parts that were my favorite, one of them, when we were filming the Nationals scenes, NCAA scenes, we were in that at. You know, with all those mats, they brought my brothers in, and my sister for cameos, you know, so they all had little parts. So all my brothers, during the scene, when they pan out, and they're showing all the wrestling mats going live, my brothers were all competing on the mats. One of my brothers was wearing an Oklahoma State singlet, another ones were in Penn State, another ones were in Northwestern. My mom and my sister in the crowd screaming, so there was one scene where you know they yell "cut" and I'm on a mat, right? So they yell "cut" and so my siblings, we all meet center mat in this arena, we're just all like looking around. That was a moment that I'll never forget, that was special. And then the other one was filming the NCAA finals, you know, they did an amazing job, just, you know, trying to get it down to the last detail, you know, and so I'm on that mat, you know, and, but I remember, you know, we're getting ready to film it, you know, Johnny did a terrific job, you know, so I remember he's about to bring, you know, 100% at me, so I'm getting ready to bring it back to him, and, but I do remember, you know, my wife was up in one of the suites, way high up, and you know, she was up there because my son Abel, who was, you know, about to turn one, he was taking his nap, and so, like, for me it's like, again, it's like, how did I get here? It's like, man, I got my mom over here, you know, I got Jennifer Lopez over here, my wife, my son's up there, and I'm about to relive one of the greatest moments of my life and compete in the NCAA finals on for a movie, like, man, I just think I had to thank God, you know, because it's one thing, you know, in life, like, you don't like the challenges, you know, everyone has their own challenge to go through, they have their own bumpy roads, the ups and downs, we hate the downs, right, we hate the challenges, we hate the losses, but you know, sometimes, all the time, really, you go through those things because there's a bigger plan, you know, you have to go through a challenge because it's an opportunity for you to change, for you to mold and grow and evolve, and so all the challenges throughout my life it molded me, and it helped me to evolve to the point where I did have that opportunity, you know, it's where now people are going to see this movie, and it's more than just a story about wrestling, it's more just about my story. It's about showing people it doesn't matter with the challenge, you can get through that. So it was special

Shane Sparks

stories from the Resolite, talking with Anthony Robles in the movie Unstoppable. Of course, he beat Matt McDonough in the movie. Johnni DiJulius plays Matt McDonough, and Johnny's, I mean, he's. he is so funny. What was the most difficult part of the movie,

Anthony Robles

the most difficult part, you know, I would say, you know, it was filming, and just being open to discuss the challenges that I was dealing with in my home life, you know, specifically with my former stepfather, that was difficult for my mom, for my entire family, you know, and that was something we spent a lot of time at the dinner table discussing as we were reading through the script about, you know, like it's one thing for the world to see all the happy moments and all the times when I win and when it's fun, but it's a whole nother thing to where the world's going to see our pain, and it was our pain, you know, not just mine, and so ultimately my family and I, we decided, we say, you know, what, this hurts, you know, in a lot of ways, this is, we're kind of reliving it, you know, just seeing the filming and going through that process, but we got to remember why we're doing it, you know, what's the goal here, what's the mission, and the mission was to share with everyone out there doesn't matter what you're going through, you can overcome it. And we knew that there are people out there who are facing similar challenges, who are facing similar pains, and we felt like, you know, it's our responsibility to show them, hey, we understand, we've been through it, but you can get through that. So that was difficult, but in some ways it was kind of therapeutic as well, you know, because I was there with my mom, my siblings, you know, we were going through it together, and we knew why we were doing it, and we know why we were experiencing that pain all over again. And then to see us come out the other side, now we're, we're showing in the movie, you know, that was something that it brought us closer together, and it brought a lot of closure, I think, to our family.

Shane Sparks

What was the coolest part after the movie? I mean, promoting the movie, meeting a bunch of people, like, what are some things that were just really, really cool,

Anthony Robles

I'm promoting the movie was amazing, you know. We were traveling all across the country, across the world. We were going to London, actually in Canada, for film festivals, and you know, so it's pretty much like every week I was in like two or three different states for film festivals, doing press interviews with Jennifer Lopez, with Don Cheadle, with all, you know, the entire cast, Jharrel, and so that was a crazy experience for my family, and I, you know, my wife and son came with me, and you know, we're getting in these spots, I have a security detail around me at all times, you know, felt like I was special, and, but, you know, just to go through that experience with my family, it was a dream, you know, it was a whirlwind, it was a, it was a couple months, we're just all over the place, you know, but, man, to have that opportunity, I never would have imagined it, so, you know, to experience that, but really, you know, to be able to come out the other side with. A message that I could share with the world now, and with the film that I'm so proud of. Just so blessed for that, you know. So, that was it's special.

Shane Sparks

The Anthony Robles Rolodex, give me five names on that Rolodex. Give me your top five biggest superstars, Net Rolodex.

Anthony Robles

Oh man. man, let's see. Gotta go with my mom, my wife, my man Shane. There you go. Let's see, gotta give a shout out to my boy Jharrel, who played me in the film. He was great. And then, who else I got in there, man. You know, I got to give a shout out to Coach Williams. You know, that man, nothing would have been possible had it not been for him. You know, starting me off and just helped me develop a wrestling identity. That's where it started from, you know, with him just taking time to mold me. So, yeah, those are my people right there.

Shane Sparks

That is awesome. I love the respect you have for your high school coach, because one thing I appreciate, Anthony, in broadcasts is especially when you look at the NCAA championships, it's 18 to 20,000 people, it's the biggest of stages, but that's not where it starts, right? I mean, all those guys' journey start, and some, you know, maybe it's a cafeteria, you know, when they're grade school kids wrestling, or you know, ultimately the high school wrestling room, but that's where it starts, and that's that will always hit difference, right?

Anthony Robles

Absolutely, yes, sir. Yeah, and that's that's what inspired me to become a high school wrestling coach, man. It's giving back, helping that next story coming out.

Shane Sparks

Are you coaching right now? Still,

Anthony Robles

I am. Yeah, I'm a head wrestling coach at Hamilton High School here in Chandler, Arizona. Is that the

Shane Sparks

Huskies?

Anthony Robles

It is. Yeah. Yes, sir.

Shane Sparks

Anthony, back in like 2001 I went to this little radio school, and in Phoenix, and I would do high school football in Arizona, like Desert Vista High School, the Hamilton Huskies. I mean, that's awesome. So, you are coaching high school. What have you learned about yourself coaching high school wrestlers? What is your philosophy? What is your mentoring philosophy? What is your, you know, how have you evolved a little bit coaching high school?

Anthony Robles

Yeah, I'd say, you know, my message to my wrestlers is we're chasing greatness, you know, and to me, chasing greatness, it's not measured by the amount of times you get to the top of the podium, you know, how many gold medals you got, how many medals you have in total, it's just knowing that when you step in the wrestling room, when you step out of the wrestling room, when you step in the classroom, you step out of the classroom, and you go out there to compete, you gave your very best, you know, you gave your best effort out there, and that's what we're chasing on our team. If you give me 100% effort in all those areas, I tell my guys, you're going to be just fine. We're not going to cut anybody on this team unless we can see that they're not giving their best effort, and as far as you know, evolving as a coach, you know, one thing for me it was like I love wrestling, I was passionate about being the best for the longest time, you know, so it was easier for me to stay motivated, but now being a coach, it's like some of our guys, some of our girls, you know, they're motivated by different things, you know, some of them want to wrestle in college, some of them just want to be a part of a team, some of them just want to have a physical challenge, you know. It's just trying to, as a coach, now meet them where they're at and trying to find ways for them to try to find ways to motivate them to get to the next level, you know, to challenge themselves just to be better, to improve, and that's what it's all about, you know. It's like, okay, you're at this level, let's get you to this level, and what's that going to take, because at the end of the day, me coaching, it's more than just the wrestling moves and the techniques, it's about showing these skills that you know we've learned from the sport, right, the accountability, the humility, the discipline, how important it is to be consistent on something, you know, those things, what I'm trying to teach these kids, so that once they step outside those doors and they're ready to graduate in four years, and they're in the real world, you know. Okay, the things you learn in wrestling, you can apply directly in your life to be successful, you know. So that's what I'm trying to teach. I'm trying to mold, mold good human beings, you know, good, good people, like my coaches did for me. Is

Shane Sparks

there a story that stands out of a specific athlete that's, you know, really turn the corner through the sport of wrestling.

Anthony Robles

Yeah, you know, there's actually. there's been a couple of them. You know, I've been blessed to be able to coach and be around and support one of them. This individual, you know, I remember came into the program, and he had been a part of the program for three years. You know, so I got him when he was a senior. I came in, and he had some anger issues, you know. He had a hard time kind of controlling his temper in the wrestling room, and on, you know, in the competition, you know, on the competition mat, and that was something we worked with him on. You know, I think kind of understood his background in some ways, you know. There's some similarities there. Difficulties that we went through, so I shared some things, you know, I shared with some inner rage that I had, that how I dealt with it to him, and so it was just neat to see over time, as he got deeper into the season, you know, just his level of patience started to improve, you know, the way he carried himself in the wrestling room started to improve, and now, you know, he's actually serving in our military, you know, he graduated, graduated from high school. He's in our military now, and he's doing extremely well. So, you know, that's what it's about. You know, it's like, yeah, great, if we can help some wrestlers achieve their goals, you know, be state champs and national champs, and go to college, that's awesome. But, man, if we can help kids become good human beings, you know, just, just be ready for life at the next level, that's so much more important, you know. And that's, that's ultimately why I want to coach. Why I got into coaching.

Shane Sparks

The name of this podcast is Stories from the Resilites. I love sitting in this chair because I get to talk about the stories, because everybody's got a story. Everybody does Stories from the Resilite. Anthony Robles. What are you most proud of, Anthony? When you look at your story,

Anthony Robles

I'd say what I'm most proud of is that, you know, I listen to my mom's words of never letting a challenge become an excuse. You know, through the hard times, through the setbacks, you know, I take a moment to lick my wounds, and just keep moving, you know. And that's what life is all about. It's just okay, you know. Just keep moving, just take the next, the next step. Sun's going to come up tomorrow. Have the courage to wake up, keep moving forward. That's all we can do. If you do that, you're going to go far in life, you know. You're going to, you're going to, you're going to be successful, you know. But just take it one day at a time, and just keep moving, finding the solutions.

Shane Sparks

Want to talk about your new business venture? Tell us about

Anthony Robles

Yes, sir. You know, my wife and I were blessed. We were saving up, and we purchased a company back in December. It's called Waterwise Irrigation and Landscape Solutions, and you know, it's local here in Arizona, and basically, you know, we're the one stop shop for, for for people's backyards, you know, whether it's hardscapes, decorative rock pavers, irrigation drip systems, sprinkler systems, we do everything, you know. So it's something I want to jump into, because I like working with my hands, I like being local, and I want to build up a family business that one day I can pass down to my son, and he could be a part of. So that's what my wife and I are focused on now.

Shane Sparks

Well, that is fantastic. I have a place, Anthony. I just moved in here a couple of months ago. No lawn, all rocks. So, hey, maybe I got to get you up here to Wisconsin, and we'll use you. Let me know, Anthony. You are one of my favorite people in this sport. Your smile tells it all. Your story of perseverance, in my opinion, is unmatched. An incredible story. Thank you so much for sharing your journey. Fantastic. Thank you.

Anthony Robles

My pleasure, my friend. Always great catching up with you. Thank you.

Shane Sparks

We'll talk to you soon. Thanks, Anthony.