By Eric Sondheimer
Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES 鈥� At 6 feet 3 and 250 pounds, with arms thicker than a Shohei Ohtani bat, Abraham Datte is someone on the campus of Monroe High that you want to stay close to.
He鈥檚 been the heavyweight wrestling champion in the City Section for two years. He鈥檚 the deputy chief in the school鈥檚 Fire Academy Magnet and is studying to be a paramedic, which means one day he could be saving your life.
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鈥淗e鈥檚 a physical specimen,鈥� wrestling coach Jean-Antoine Ramirez said. 鈥淲hen you see him, that鈥檚 the guy I want pulling me out of a car, my house or at the top of a tree.鈥�
Need someone to crash through a door, Datte will do it. Need someone to carry one of those heavy engine company water hoses, Datte can do that. Challenge him to produce a good time in an obstacle course, no problem.
It was freshman year that he discovered wrestling was his sport. He entered Monroe as a 13-year-old and went out for football but couldn鈥檛 play varsity until he turned 14. He played one game. Then the coach informed players, 鈥淚f you want to get better, you have to join wrestling or start lifting.鈥�
鈥淚 tried out for wrestling and loved it,鈥� Datte said. 鈥淐oaches were great, the weight classes were two and three deep. There were a lot of motivational figures around me.鈥�
By sophomore year he was a City champion. He remembers the crowd being loud and clapping after he pinned his opponent.
鈥淚 was feeling more relief than excited. It was, 鈥業 finally did it,鈥欌�� he said.
He walks 15 minutes from his home in Northridge , then takes a 20-minute bus ride to Monroe in North Hills . He鈥檚 been doing it since freshman year. The Fire Academy was his motivation.
鈥淎s an eighth-grader, I was eavesdropping when my mom was talking to a friend and I heard something about medical insurance and how expensive it is,鈥� he said.
He asked his mother, a physical education teacher at Chatsworth, 鈥淲ill it be expensive for me?鈥�
鈥淵es, find a job that gives you good benefits,鈥� she replied.
That advice sunk in.
鈥淏eing a kid, I came across firefighting,鈥� Datte said. 鈥淗ow fast can I get into this?鈥�
He went online and looked up schools that offered classes and came across Monroe. After 3陆 years he has risen to No. 2 in command for his class and is in charge of physical workouts and equipment. Students get hands-on training and learn about the body and how to use firefighting equipment.
As far as wrestling, Datte鈥檚 goal is to win a state title. He鈥檚 No. 5 in the state in one ranking.
鈥淚 love the competitive aspect of it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 love if I wrestle and lose, there was no one to blame but myself. I prioritize performance over victory. If I perform my best, that was still a positive performance.鈥�
As for other lessons learned from wrestling, Datte said, 鈥淎lways put yourself in a coachable position. When I was young, I thought I knew everything, which I didn鈥檛.鈥�
So far he hasn鈥檛 had to use his firefighting knowledge, or CPR.
鈥淓xpert, no. Knowledgeable, yes,鈥� he said.
He鈥檒l be ready to make an impact on the mat and at the door.
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