{"id":16723,"date":"2025-09-01T17:37:49","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T17:37:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cortez-wrestler-ian-wise-nominated-for-youth-athlete-of-the-year\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T03:59:59","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T03:59:59","slug":"cortez-wrestler-ian-wise-nominated-for-youth-athlete-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/cortez-wrestler-ian-wise-nominated-for-youth-athlete-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"Cortez wrestler Ian Wise nominated for Youth Athlete of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Cortez
Cortez Middle School eighth grader Ian Wise has been nominated for Sports Illustrated Youth Athlete of the Year. Wise, who has wrestled for the Dolores Peewee Wrestling Club, is advocating for athletic participation as well as getting routine physicals for people of all ages. Photo courtesy of Lindsey Wise<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

CORTEZ \u2013 Every time he stepped onto the wrestling mat, Cortez Middle School eighth grader Ian Wise had one goal: to get his opponent on their back.<\/p>\n

That was before he found a new mission.<\/p>\n

Earlier this summer, Wise\u2019s father, Chris Wise, went in for a routine physical through his employer. Despite a lack of symptoms, the family received a shocking cancer diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hit the family really hard,\u201d said Ian\u2019s mother, Lindsey. \u201cWe had to go in for an emergency surgery because it was so far advanced.\u201d<\/p>\n

Turning fear into hope, Ian sprang into action, advocating for routine physicals to help others detect health issues early. Among his many efforts, he speaks to elementary school groups about his family\u2019s journey, emphasizing the importance of proactive health monitoring.<\/p>\n

Driven by ambition, Wise has been nominated as a regional finalist for Sports Illustrated\u2019s Youth Athlete of the Year, a national contest celebrating excellence on and off the field. The Why Not You Foundation and the V Foundation for Cancer Research, named for legendary North Carolina State men\u2019s basketball coach Jim Valvano, are the primary beneficiaries of Wise\u2019s mission.<\/p>\n

\"Cortez
Cortez Middle School eighth grader Ian Wise (left) has been nominated for Sports Illustrated Youth Athlete of the Year. Wise, who has wrestled for the Dolores Peewee Wrestling Club, is advocating for athletic participation as well as getting routine physicals for people of all ages. Photo courtesy of Lindsey Wise<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Wise began wrestling in third grade after a friend encouraged him to try it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI went to one practice, and I was hooked,\u201d said Wise.<\/p>\n

Since then, he has traveled across the region, competing in major youth wrestling tournaments with the Dolores Peewee Wrestling Club. This year, he\u2019ll debut with the Cortez Middle School team and hopes for a strong season when matches begin after winter break.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve gained a lot of strength from my family,\u201d said Wise. \u201cAnd my coaches push me to my limits.\u201d<\/p>\n

While sports physicals are required for youth athletes to screen for safety issues, the Wise family also wants to raise awareness about routine checkups for adults.<\/p>\n

\u201cAsk more questions,\u201d said Lindsey Wise, who is helping champion her son\u2019s advocacy for men\u2019s health. \u201cAnd it all starts with getting checked \u2013 regardless of age.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ian also promotes sports as a way to support physical and mental health. Managing his own ADHD, he finds wrestling helps him stay active and focused.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt keeps me exercising and allows me to stay busy and focused,\u201d said the CMS eighth grader.<\/p>\n

\"Cortez
Cortez Middle School eighth grader Ian Wise has been nominated for Sports Illustrated Youth Athlete of the Year. Wise, who has wrestled for the Dolores Peewee Wrestling Club, is advocating for athletic participation as well as getting routine physicals for people of all ages. Photo courtesy of Lindsey Wise<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

His passion for wrestling is something he hopes to carry into the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d like to be a coach someday,\u201d Wise added.<\/p>\n

To advance in the Youth Athlete of the Year competition, Wise must finish as the top vote-getter in his group. The winner will receive a $25,000 prize and an advertisement for their mission in Sports Illustrated. Voting is open until 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 4. Support for Ian\u2019s cause as well as more information can be found through his Youth Athlete of the Year site<\/a> at https:\/\/athleteoftheyear.org\/2025\/ian-7997.<\/p>\n

Just like on the mat, win or lose, Wise\u2019s goal remains clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat holds the greatest significance is not the accumulation of trophies or pins, but the unyielding determination to succeed and persevere,\u201d said Wise. \u201cWith your support, we can turn setbacks into comebacks.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

advocates for routine physicals after learning of father\u2019s cancer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16724,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[38,39,28,37,36],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-16723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-dolores-high-school","tag-dove-creek-high-school","tag-headlines","tag-mancos-high-school","tag-montezuma-cortez-high-school"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16723","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16723"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16723\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20356,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16723\/revisions\/20356"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16724"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16723"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16723"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16723"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=16723"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}