Prep Flashback: Tireless work ethic let Olson get job done

Athlete: Erick "Otto" Olson, Everett High School, Class of 1996

Sport: Wrestling

High-school rewind: Won three consecutive Class 4A state titles, at 148, 158 and 168. He finished with a 140-5 career record.

After high school: Was a three-time All-American at Michigan, finishing 161-27 and finishing second and third at the NCAA championships. After one season as an assistant coach at Everett, Olson became head coach at Mariner High School in the Mukilteo School District.

Personal: Olson, 28, teaches seventh- and eighth-grade P.E. and computer classes at Explorer Middle School. He also runs a business, Otto-Matic Mobile Music, started in high school, in which he plays music at dances and weddings.

Fast forward: Olson's obsessive work ethic has been passed on to Marauders wrestlers, who run sprints after each match.

Olson, one of the top wrestlers in state history, pedaled his bicycle home from local matches or jogged to meet teammates at a restaurant after a match. Sometimes he'd find his way inside a YMCA after that.

"My reputation was for my conditioning," said Olson, named an All-American his senior year at Everett by Wrestling USA Magazine. "I had one speed the whole match. I wasn't fast enough in the first round, but I was the same at the end of the match when other guys were getting tired.

"If you're willing to outwork your opponent, you can have success in anything you do."

Once, Olson rode his bike 60 miles round trip to and from a wrestling camp in Arlington when he had to detour because of a bridge closure.

But a bike ride in college turned into a true test for Olson. In 2000, he was hit by a car one day after getting in a car accident, severely injuring his shoulder. He took 10 days off, but kept wrestling. He also overcame a serious knee injury.

Matt Massey