Faithful Friday-Triumph: A Young Man’s Journey Overcoming Stereotypes with the Help of Wrestling
By: Debbie Waltz
“Triumph” is a compelling story that details the challenging journey of a high school senior wrestler as he navigates the rigorous demands of his team and confronts his own internal struggles to prove his self-worth and earn a place amongst his peers. Having lived with cerebral palsy his entire life, Mike Conley (RJ Mitte) is keenly aware of the misconceptions held by those without disabilities and confronts these biases daily, not only in his academic pursuits but also in his participation in extracurricular activities. Despite this setback, however, he remains undeterred and refuses to let it impede his progress. Mike’s continued progress is due to the assistance and encouragement he receives from his friend Jeff (Colton Haynes) and Coach Cutting (Terrence Howard). Overcoming his reservations, the coach presented the athlete with a final, demanding challenge that needed to be completed before he could try out; this challenge required bench-pressing 80 pounds with his legs 3 times.
Amazingly, he accomplishes it with his “teammates” surrounding him, looking on in astonishment. He’s got a chance!
The day of tryouts arrives, and he goes against Cooper. Despite his power in the ring, Cooper overpowers him and wins. Cutting is impressed by his perseverance and offers him the position of team manager. He declines initially, feeling as if it is some sort of consolation prize. He doesn’t want anyone’s pity.
“What happened?” You pissed because you couldn’t do something? Guess what, you’re not alone. You can’t always have what we want or do what we want, Mike..” says his father Doug (played by Johnathon Schaech).
“I was trying to prove something,” Mike begins
“Prove what?”
“I tried out for the wrestling team and didn’t get it. I was just fooling myself again.”
“We talked about this,” [Thanks to a previous injury in the third grade where Mike injured his collarbone, his father is overly protective.]
“Dad, I just want to prove to myself I can do this,”
“You’re on the path to prove yourself; you can best anyone with that mind of yours, Prove that all right? Prove that to yourself to me.”
Despite his father’s discouragement, he presses on and accepts the team manager position.
“If you can’t beat them, join them,” Mike replies when the coach asks what made him change his mind.
In addition to their other duties, the team manager also provides demonstrations of wrestling moves, with the entire team observing and learning. This provides him with valuable practical experience, besides theoretical knowledge. As Coach Cutting and Mike connect more, they find similarities in their situations. Growing up, the coach t 15 ried out for football in order to fit in; unfortunately for him, he had asthma and his lungs wouldn’t cooperate.
As the season progresses, Mike diligently continues his workouts, both independently and under the expert guidance of his coach. In addition to his managerial duties, he ensures that players have access to water throughout the matches. During one particular evening’s match, the team was short a player, but instead of forfeiting, Cutting stepped up to the plate and put Mike in as a substitute. Even in defeat, Mike experienced the thrill of real competition for the first time since his youth, discovering a love for the game that he hadn’t felt in years.
When Doug finds out his son is wrestling. he’s disappointed. Although he avoids a direct confrontation with Mike in front of his friend, his determination to protect his son is unwavering, leading him to take the indirect route of speaking to the coach privately to address the situation. The conversation doesn’t go exactly as planned though. -while Coach Cutting enthusiastically detailed all the advantages and benefits to Mike’s father. This is about more than just wrestling. It’s about Mike’s confidence and the ability to interact with his peers.
“Mr. Conley, extracurricular activities are more than just something to physically release the body; it’s giving him an opportunity to interact with his teammates. ” Cutting argues
As the two continue to talk about Mike’s interest in wrestling, Doug expresses his concerns with his son’s participation in the sport.
“I just want to graduate so he can find his way into the real world.” Doug says.
“As his teacher, I want him to graduate and find his way out in this world. But he needs to understand that right now his biggest obstacle is himself. As his father, you should know that!” Cutting continues.
Doug remains unconvinced, thinking he has his son’s best interests at heart.
“Mike does not see his disability as a hindrance, I think he’s stronger because of it. And if he could take that energy and harness it and turn it towards himself instead of seeking approval from everybody else around him. Can you imagine what this young man could accomplish?”
While Jeff helps Mike train, he suffers a life altering injury. As Mike walks alongside his friend during therapy, we see him emerge from his shell, generously sharing his advice on developing resilience during difficult times—a role reversal, indeed, as the teacher becomes the student.
Though this movie focus is primarily on wrestling and the importance of inclusion in all aspects of life, it has so many different layers. It not only deals with the personal perspective of having a disability, but shows how that is bound to impact the family dynamic as well. It’s only natural to want to protect your children; but at some point, you need to let them go. That’s why it’s so important that you teach them the necessary skills to “cope” with living in the outside world. Yes, they will have difficulty- but there will be joy as well.
On a personal note, I did not go through the entire movie for those of you wondering. It does not turn out like you would typically imagine. But for those with disabilities entering high school or middle school, I would highly recommend you watch it with your kids. This school environment is an accurate depiction of what your kids might face. This movie might give them courage to face their obstacles head on with their head held high