Wrestling changed his life

When Sam Pereira joined his Winnipeg school’s wrestling program in Grade 8, he simply wanted an outlet for his energy. Ten years later, he’s representing his country at world championships.

Pereira, 22, who attended St. John Brebeuf School in River Heights, is a four-time national champion freestyle wrestler, who’s medalled in four international events. He takes the mat Saturday in Novi Sad, Serbia, where he hopes to reach the podium at the U23 World Wrestling Championships.

“It’s changed my life dramatically, in a very positive way,” he said of his early introduction to the sport. Pereira attended the University of Alberta before transferring to Simon Fraser University, the only Canadian school that competes in the NCAA.

For the past couple of months, Pereira has trained at the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Regional Olympic Training Center in Lehigh, Pa. He rooms with Mike Macchiavello, a NCAA champion and U.S. National Team wrestler, and three-time NCAA All-American Jordan Wood.

“They’re both very influential people for me,” Pereira said. “They’ve helped me out a lot, mentally and physically. They’re great people to have around.”

Since he arrived at Lehigh in early August, Pereira has been learning under Kerry McCoy, Lehigh’s executive director and head coach, a two-time NCAA champion and former U.S. Olympian.

“He’s just a good person,” Pereira said. “When speaking to him, you know that’s a figure that you can gain knowledge from.”

McCoy said it didn’t take long for Pereira’s competitive side to stand out in training.

“The first thing I think about with Sam is he’s open, always willing to learn,” McCoy said. “I think that’s what helps people to get better and improve.”

He said there wasn’t much of an adjustment period for Pereira, who’s competed against many of Lehigh’s athletes through international competition and the NCAA.

“He’s just a great guy to be around, we have some great conversations,” McCoy said. “Very humble, very laid-back, we get along very well… it’s pretty cool to see how he’s fit in.”

Pereira echoed his respect for McCoy.

“Wrestling’s a tough sport, he’s a very understanding coach,” Pereira said. “He takes the time out of his day. I already feel like I have a personal relationship with him.”

As he prepares for his second world championship, Pereira reflected on where he fell in love with the sport, when teacher Nathan Polakoff established a wrestling program at St. John Brebeuf School.

“I just thought, ‘Got to get my energy out somehow,’” Pereira joked.

Pereira, who played hockey at the time, realized that he enjoyed wrestling for different reasons.

“I think the biggest thing that I liked is just how hard it was,” he said. “Physically demanding, mentally demanding… I just didn’t really have the same love for (hockey).”

Pereira credits Polakoff as his first real mentor and the one who inspired his love for the sport. Polakoff said he is just a small cog in Pereira’s growth as a wrestler.

“It’s wonderful that Sam thinks of me as the start of his journey,” said Polakoff. “The kid is just so talented and such a grounded guy… you’d never know how hard he’s been working because he’s just always pleasant, happy to see you, and humble.”

Now the principal at St. Joseph The Worker School in Transcona, Polakoff is still a Canada A official, and a United World Wrestling level 2 official – qualified to referee around the world in both Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling. He is also the Western Canada representative for wrestling officials.

Polakoff said despite a busy work life, the husband and father of three finds a little extra joy in officiating and teaching the sport he loves.

“I just love seeing kids have that light bulb go off in their head when they do a move right, or see that smile on their face when they figure it out,” said Polakoff. “It’s something that I still love to do and love to be involved in.”

Polakoff and Pereira still cross paths every once in a while, catching up at different wrestling events.

“I’m just in awe that Sam is where he’s at today,” Polakoff said. “It’s all due to him.”

As physically demanding as the sport is, keeping a cool head is equally as important, Pereira said.

“There’s so much mental work that goes into this,” he said. “You’re going through endless hours of physical torture.

“You’re basically going to fight this guy. Like, ‘Who’s the better man’ almost… there’s a lot of mental that goes into that.”

Pereira said to execute this weekend, he wants to focus on his training and let the results speak for themselves.

“You can’t worry too much about the outcome,” Pereira said. “I’m a God-driven person, there’s always going to be a plan… the biggest thing is just having confidence inside yourself, which is an easy thing to be said, but a very hard thing to execute.”

You can watch Pereira and Team Canada this weekend through Flo Wrestling, or the United World Wrestling website.