Multi-time Cheyenne Frontier Days (CFD) and National Finals Rodeo (NFR) champion

Read about how wrestling at Cheyenne High School impacted Brody's Success on the professional rodeo circuit:

From 2011-14, Cress was one of the best wrestlers in the state of Wyoming. At Cheyenne High School, Cress claimed three consecutive state championships for the Thunderbirds from his sophomore to his senior years. He was state runner-up as a freshman.

It's a run Cress said he was fortunate to have.

"He is just really hard-nosed and really determined," East head wrestling coach Thad Trujillo said. "When I think about the impact certain guys have had on our program through the years; 10 years after graduating, he's still a guy that we talk about with some of (his) stories, his style and his mindset that he had."

Trujillo said he knew pretty early on Cress was going to be something special. The conclusion came from seeing Cress' mindset and work ethic on the mat.

"Being a coach and a former college wrestler, you kind of figure out what style works at the next level," Trujillo said. "I can't think of many others who wrestle as hard as he did and was nonstop whistle to whistle. To this day, (I say) he had the tools to be an All-American at the next level. But what he decided to do is working out for him."

At the end of his senior season, Cress was forced to make the difficult choice to put away the head gear and singlet. While wrestling was, and still is, something he truly enjoys, Cress knew the saddle was going to take him farther in life.

"It was such a huge part of my life," Cress said. "(While) the practicing and cutting weight was never fun, I would never go back and do it different because you learn life lessons through those challenges. It was definitely hard to give up wrestling. I even helped out with little kids wrestling down in Texas some. I am so excited for my wife and I to have our first little boy because I already have plans to turn one of the buildings at our house into a wrestling room for him so I can stay tied to it."

All that time on the mat in high school didn't go to waste, however, and served as a valuable lesson in the saddle. While there isn't necessarily a one-to-one transfer between the two sports, wrestling does a great job of teaching its athletes how to move their bodies and remain balanced.

Cress says the mental aspect of wrestling has been far more beneficial in the rodeo arena.

"When you step out onto that mat and shake that guy's hand, you're the only one out there that can help yourself," he said. "It's up to you to figure out how to get out of those situations, and it's the same in a bucking chute on a bucking horse. At that point, it's you and that horse, and there's nobody who can do it for you. That's where wrestling translates over. It is fully up to you on what outcome you are going to get. I am constantly thinking about bronc riding, just like I was always thinking about wrestling. I learned all of those little things and how to hold myself accountable (from wrestling)."

Source: WyomingNews.com