I.C. West’s Nelson Brands has rich wrestling background

IOWA CITY - Freshman Nelson Brands, a junior high state wrestling champion last year, is a rookie on the Iowa City West wrestling team this winter.

But Brands isn't a stranger to wrestling or the first wrestler in his family.

His father, Terry Brands, is a two-time World champion, Olympic bronze medalist and is the associate head coach for the University of Iowa wrestling team. Nelson's uncle, Tom Brands, is a World and Olympic gold medalist, and is the head coach for the Hawkeyes.

Despite his family background, Nelson Brands did not feel pressured into wrestling.

'Since my dad is the associate head coach for Iowa, most people think that he wanted me to start wrestling, but I decided to start on my own when I was ready,” Brands said.

Brands chose to begin wrestling in fourth grade on a local club team. Four years later, in eighth grade, he won the junior high state championship. However, Brands' father does not take any of the credit for his son's success.

'(My success) has nothing to do with my son's success,” said Terry Brands.

Brands values his father's experience, but agrees.

'(Their success) used to affect me, but right now it is about me and not about what they did in the past,” Nelson Brands said. 'They are great coaches for me to learn from, but I don't care what happened in the past for them.”

Nelson stayed motivated by focusing on his personal wrestling game.

'I felt better, and I was getting better,” he said. 'I wasn't staying the same like I was in fourth grade, I wasn't very good then. I was getting better and better, and that is what made me not worry about what they did in the past.”

West head wrestling coach Mark Reiland is pleased with the addition to the team.

'Nelson is a competitor. He hates to lose and that goes a long way in making a good wrestler,” said Reiland. a former Hawkeye national champion himself. 'He has obviously been around the sport for a long time and has seen some of the best in the country train and compete and knows what it takes. Any time you have someone of that ability it adds to the overall team.”

Brands will be wrestling in the 120-pound weight class, and his goal for high school is to eventually win state.

'I like wrestling a lot, because you can't blame anybody else,” he said. 'It's you and the other guy, and that's it.

'I just tell God ‘give me grace' and I'm ready to wrestle.”

Although Brands enjoys wrestling, he also believes it takes a lot of work.

'It's not a fun sport like basketball or football. It's all hard, but it's what you get out of it in the end that matters,” Brands said.

He plans to continue his wrestling beyond high school and attend the University of Iowa.

'I want to go to Iowa, because it would be really weird to wrestle against my uncle and my dad,” he said.

Click here for more photos and 'fun facts” about Nelson Brands.