Arkansas Wrestle (All images via uofoathletics.com)
Posted: Sep 15, 2021
Q&A With Doyle Trout
A four-time High School state champion in wrestling-crazed Nebraska, Doyle Trout signed an NCAA I scholarship to wrestle at University of Wyoming. Just months before arriving at Laramie, Trout was in a nearly fatal car crash losing his right leg. Despite his challenges, Trout won matches at the NCAA I level. Trout is now an assistant men’s wrestling coach at Ozarks serving as an inspiration to student-athletes on campus.
- Where you are from, how you got into wrestling, where you went to school, how you came to Ozarks, etc.?
I grew up in the country outside of Waco, Nebraska. The community I grew up in is mostly made up of farmers and blue-collared workers. I grew up doing 4-H and showing sheep at the county fair. My mom is an electrician and she also did hair. My parents met in California, where my dad was a marine at Camp Pendleton. My mom was visiting America from Austria. She came to learn English and see America. They settled in Waco where my dad is from. I have an older sister and brother. My brother and I enjoyed sports and being competitive. I grew up watching sports with my dad.
I started wrestling in first grade. My dad wrestled in high school and the coach of the youth team was an old teammate of his. The teammate asked my dad to help him coach, so he was also our coach. After the first practice, my dad noticed my potential. I also fell in love with it right away.
I came to Ozarks because of Vinny Barber. He and I had met at a wrestling camp in Pennsylvania about ten years ago. We stayed in contact over the years, while we were both wrestling. He mentioned the opportunity to come to University of the Ozarks and be an assistant coach. It was a great opportunity to come into wrestling-wise. Additionally, I would have the chance to learn under LeRoy Gardner. He was a great wrestler and is well known in the wrestling community. I was able to visit the campus twice before accepting the coaching position. I fell in love with the natural surrounding because it was unlike anything else I had experienced in my life. The school is beautiful. The people care and are passionate about what they do.
- What was your biggest wrestling accomplishment?
The biggest accomplishment of my wrestling career was being named the Dave Shultz Excellence Award winner for the state of Nebraska. The award is presented annually to a male high school senior and is based equally on outstanding wrestling success, scholastic achievement and citizenship or community service. I feel like winning the award was a reflection of my wrestling ability, academic success, and work off the mat.
- You have overcome a lot, can you talk about how having one leg has impacted your wrestling career and life in general?
After I lost my leg, I knew my life would be impacted significantly just because I had a new normal. Simple tasks that I could do with two legs were now difficult. The tough part about it is I wanted to be normal. I wanted to do everything that people with two legs would do. I struggled with this. I had an identity crisis. I was a good wrestler with two legs and now I have one leg and pretty much had to learn how to wrestle all over again, and with a physical disability. It was a humbling experience. From a spiritual perspective I took it as a calling. I think that this is an example of being bigger than yourself. I wouldn’t choose this life, but this is the life given to me. And I can’t do it alone, so it’s bigger than me. The impact of losing my leg gave me a new perspective on life.
- What is the most significant lesson you have learned from competing?
The most significant lesson I learned competing is we are all human. My opponent and I both have the same capabilities. I learned to just go out there and wrestle. Regardless of the result, there are always lessons to learn.
- What made you want to continue to be in the wrestling world and become a coach?
I wanted to be in the wrestling world because of the respect I have for this sport. I enjoy the game of wrestling. The goal is to beat your opponent by points or pin. It takes a person doing a lot of the right things to have success in wrestling. I have lots of wrestling knowledge and experience that I can pass onto the upcoming generations. I’ve always liked to help others achieve success. Listening to your coach/mentor/role model can be one of the best things you can do. I enjoy helping people understand to control what you can control, and you can have great success.
- What is your favorite thing about being at U of O?
My favorite thing about being at U of O are the people. Everyone is hard working and dedicated to making the experience great for the students. Everyone is positive. We are all a team with like-minded goals of being the very best versions of ourselves.
- What are your future aspirations?
My future aspirations are to further my education. I enjoy academics. I just needed a little break because I was definitely burned out from school. I am unsure what I would like to get a master’s degree in, but I continue to keep the stance of wanting to do more school. I would like to still compete if possible. I have put some thought into the Paralympics. I know I will be involved with the sport of wrestling. Regardless of what I do in life, I see myself involved in wrestling or some other type of sport. I would also like to have a family one day. Otherwise, the goal is just to be the best version of myself every day.
- Anything else you’d like to add?
I’d like to address that a lot of people deal with a “losing their leg” event. Some examples of this could be losing a family member, parents getting divorced, or something as serious as abuse. Regardless of what the specific event is, we all go through something. Events that make achieving a goal difficult. Sometimes you have to change your goals because of events in your life. Ultimately this “losing leg” or “bad event” can motivate and carry us in life to achieve great things. On the other end, they can break you and hold you back. My interest is helping others understand that the bad things in life don’t define us in that moment. Embrace the negatives and seek the next best positive. Because life is going to happen to you, two legs or one leg. I might seem like I have it all figured out, but don’t get it twisted – I still struggle to this day and sometimes it has nothing to do with my leg. But, I believe that this happening to me has helped to better equip me to navigate the negatives in life. Then I can help others do so. Even though the physical challenges were tough, navigating the mental challenges were more difficult. So just keep going. I don’t want people to feel sorry for me. Keep moving forward. Some things might seem permanent, but very little in life is.
Flowrestling featured Trout’s story in a video “Doyle Trout – Still Standing”. The inspirational feature video can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XpYpL8VCp4
